‘This has been the dream’: Johnsburg hopes to earn third state tournament appearance in school history

A wide-eyed Liz Smith always looked up to the older girls soccer players at Johnsburg High School throughout her grade school years.

In 2017, the Skyhawks made it to the Class 1A state tournament for the second time in five seasons and earned a third-place trophy, their best finish ever.

Smith, a junior forward, now finds herself in a similar position of those talented players before her.

The top-seeded Skyhawks (11-6) have a chance to reach the Final Four for the third time in program history when they meet No. 1 Willows Academy (17-3-1) in a Dominican University Supersectional at 11 a.m. Saturday in River Forest.

Smith has been leading the charge all spring.

“I’ve definitely been wishing for this since I’ve been watching them in middle school,” said Smith, who posted hat tricks with three goals in regional and sectional final wins. “We’ve all been working really hard to get there.

“It would be so cool for our team.”

Johnsburg earned a bye in the regional semifinals and topped Harvest Christian 4-2 for the regional title behind the first hat trick of the playoffs for Smith. Sophomore Charlie Eastland then led the scoring with a hat trick in the sectional semis, a convincing 7-0 win over Cristo Rey St. Martin.

On Tuesday, Smith scored three goals in a 4-0 win over No. 1 North Shore Country Day to give the Skyhawks their third sectional title ever.

And, more importantly, put them one win away from state.

“This has been the dream,” Smith said.

“We’re a program and a school where our numbers have been dropping, but the quality has stayed the same, and I think the girls showed on the field that they’ve got the quality to go and get the job done.”

—  Rob Eastland, Johnsburg soccer coach

The Skyhawks are a close team off the field, too, but their connection on the field is extremely apparent in the way they move the ball and anticipate each other’s moves.

Junior Lauren McQuiston has been one of the biggest facilitators with her swift, accurate passes.

“We’re like one big friend group,” senior Ava Jablonski said. “We know each other so well.”

Johnsburg has won three straight regional titles since coach Rob Eastland, Charlie’s dad, came back for his second stint as head coach. He also coached the Skyhawks from 2013 to 2017, winning three regionals and two sectionals in that span.

That included the school’s two trips to state: a fourth-place finish in 2013 and third-place finish in 2017.

Eastland, who returned as head coach in 2023, took a step back after Tuesday’s supersectional to let his players soak in the win and celebrate with fans and family.

As he said, “they earned it.”

It also put a big smile on his face to see daughter Charlie take part in the big celebration.

“Just letting the girls live the moment,” Rob Eastland said. “We’re a program and a school where our numbers have been dropping, but the quality has stayed the same, and I think the girls showed on the field that they’ve got the quality to go and get the job done. I’m really proud of them for the way they set themselves up right from the start.”

Johnsburg didn’t win any regular-season titles after a 7-2 start to the season.

Early in the year, the Skyhawks earned a confidence-boosting win over Richmond-Burton, which entered the spring without a loss in Kishwaukee River Conference play in four years. But Johnsburg couldn’t pull out the KRC regular-season or tournament titles.

Yes, that served as motivation, but more a reminder.

“There’s nothing you can do about it, Rob says to us all the time,” Jablonski said. “I have him in the classroom, too, and having him come in here, he just gives those big pep talks that are meaningful to everybody. He just changes the game.”

While the smooth look of the offense catches a lot of attention, coach Eastland said the Skyhawks’ defense deserves a lot of credit, too. Junior Lila Konrad has been in control in goal for the past two shutouts, while defenders London Baidinger and Jacquelyn Douglas have ahold of the back line.

“I feel like when the defense is so solid, it just gives the girls up front plenty of opportunities, and they know even when they don’t put the early ones in, they’re still going to get chances,” Eastland said. “They’re patient and they’ve got belief in themselves, ... and I think that’s what’s great with our team. They keep coming.

“Adding in Ava [Jablonski] or Natalie [Oeffling] or Mossy [Elaina Moss] and Gabby [Kay], too, as a freshman, they don’t get a lot of glory, but the coach knows where it all starts from.”

With a trip to state on the line, Oeffling, a senior, has no reason to doubt her team wont keep it going.

“I really think we can go all the way,” Oeffling said. “This is it. We all grew up together, and we know each other so well.”