Huntley wins third straight regional championship with win over Jacobs

HUNTLEY – For much of Friday afternoon, Jaci Larami and her Huntley teammates couldn’t find the right opportunity.

Jacobs had surprised the Red Raiders in the Class 3A Huntley Regional championship with a formation where most of its lineup packed in on one side and played defense. Huntley played into the Golden Eagles’ plan for most of the first half and needed someone to find the right chance to break through.

[ Photos: Jacobs vs. Huntley at Class 3A Huntley Regional Championship ]

Laramie found that moment in a spot that wasn’t her strong suit. She scored the Red Raiders’ go-ahead in the second half to lead Huntley to a 3-0 win and a third straight regional championship.

“It means so much to me because when I got on this team my sophomore year, we won it [for the first time in a while],” Laramie, a senior, said. “This is our third straight plaque and it shows the improvement that our program has made over the years and just how much work we put into this.”

That moment was possible thanks to a free kick early in the second half. Huntley (17-1-3) had the ball roughly 23 yards in front of the net after a foul and Laramie positioned herself to kick it in.

Laramie wasn’t sure what to expect with the kick. She said she’s usually farther away from the goal and didn’t know where to shoot the ball. Huntley coach Matt Lewandowski told her to put her head down and kick it head height of Jacobs freshman goalkeeper Addison Hunsicker.

She did just that. Laramie sailed a perfect shot that went just above Hunsicker’s jumping grasp to give Huntley a 1-0 lead with 31:06 left in the match.

“That’s honestly huge for Jaci because that’s not something that she excels at,” Lewandowski said. “So I think that gave her a confidence boost for the rest of the game to be the leader that we needed her to be.”

Huntley stayed aggressive in the second half and stuck to its plan of controlling the ball so that Jacobs couldn’t score on a fast break. Senior defender Kate Sandora scored her first goal of the season off a penalty kick with 26:16 left in the match and senior Bella Fusco made it 3-0 off another penalty kick with 19:52 left.

The Red Raiders’ limited the Golden Eagles’ scoring chances while junior goalkeeper Ashlyn Grabs made three saves in net.

“We were outworking them a majority of the time,” Laramie said. “So if we just kept outworking them, we would get on their bad side and we just could get them in.”

Lewandowski credited Jacobs coach Colin Brice for coming up with a perfect game plan to take away Huntley’s athleticism. The Golden Eagles (8-8-4) usually only had one or two players on Huntley’s side of the pitch while the rest of the lineup packed in and played defense.

Jacobs came close to taking a lead with seven minutes left in the first half on a fast break but couldn’t knock the ball in. Once the Red Raiders took the lead, it became hard to come back.

“The first half, the girls bought in the way we wanted to play and we limited their chances,” Brice said. “I thought we had two very good opportunities in that half. If we score on one of those, the game’s a little different. But I’m very proud of our girls and the way they put in our game plan and responded. It’s just unfortunate that two penalty kicks and a set piece. It is what it is.”

Huntley did have a tough moment Friday when senior Maddie Cummings left the game with an apparent injury after a collision. Cummings had to be taken off the pitch on a cart and Lewandowski didn’t know the severity of the injury or how long she would be out. Cummings is second on the team with 16 goals this season.

“It means so much to me because when I got on this team my sophomore year, we won it [for the first time in a while]. This is our third straight plaque and it shows the improvement that our program has made over the years and just how much work we put into this.”

—  Jaci Laramie, Huntley senior

Huntley will try to continue its playoff run against Lake Zurich on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Class 3A Warren Sectional. The Red Raiders will try to win their first sectional title since 2016.

In order to do that, Huntley will continue to prepare itself for whatever opportunity presents itself.

“Just keep going,” Sandora said. “Keep our heads down, put everything we have into it. We’re just going to go as far as we can and work together as a team.”