Lions look to make history against quality 3A final field

By Curt Herron

After knocking off a squad that not only was unbeaten and top-ranked in Illinois but also ranked high in the nation, you'd think that things would get easier for Lyons Township.

But even though they're coming off of a 1-0 upset win over Neuqua Valley in Tuesday's Class 3A Benedictine University, the Lions know better than to begin any sort of celebration.

That's because LT figures to have its hands full this weekend when it meets up with a quality field in the state finals at North Central College in Naperville.

Coach Paul Labbato's Lions have the best record (24-3) and the longest win streak (13 straight) among the four remaining semifinalists in the state's largest class.

But half of the field has better postseason credentials than does LT and the other entrant possesses a talented collection of Division I athletes and plenty of team speed.

Lyons meets up with defending Class 3A state champion New Trier (18-6-3) in Friday's first semifinal matchup at 5:00 p.m.

Lake Zurich (20-4) battles last year's Class 3A runnerup, Edwardsville (18-3-4), in the other semifinal at approximately 7:00 p.m.

The third place match takes place on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. with the state championship scheduled to begin at about 7:00 p.m.

LT is making its sixth state appearance and its first since 2005 and is already assured of picking up its second trophy for a top four finish.

The Lions' only other final four finish came in the program's first state trip in 1972 when coach John King's squad settled for fourth place.

If LT wins on either Friday or Saturday, it will mark the program's first win in state finals play. It has dropped all six of its matches in state competition.

Lyons is led by a pair of All-State seniors, midfielder Chris Meingast (8 goals, 9 assists) and defender Billy McGuinness (3 goals, 3 assists).

Other midfielders are all-sectional pick junior Kyle Kurfirst (4 goals, 3 assists) and seniors Zach Pearsall (8 goals, 4 assists), Brian Heimerdinger (7 goals, 8 assists) and Andrew Aviles (2 goals, 1 assist).

The forward line features junior Horacio Sanchez (12 goals, 6 assists) and sophomore Elliot Borge (9 goals, 14 assists).

Senior Dan Wielgos (2 assists) and junior Peter Kralovec-Kirchherr (2 goals, 1 assist) join McGuinness on a defense that has blanked 18 opponents this season.

In the net, LT relies on senior Sully Fox (0.77 GAA, 85 saves) and has a very capable backup in junior Kevin Beglen (0.08 GAA, 25 saves).

Other regular contributors include seniors Luke Skertich (6 goals, 2 assists), Uriel Cabrera (5 goals, 2 assists) and Danny Paice (4 goals, 3 assists).

The rest of LT's squad consists of seniors Jack Bowton, Hamdija Fejzic and Brian Thomas and juniors Alex Economou and Peter Gabrek and sophomore Hector Godinez.

In their opener at state the Lions will run into a Trevian program that has captured two of the past three large school state championships.

Coach Craig Fairbairn's squad owns an 8-match winning streak after beating Lake Forest in the Loyola University Super-Sectional.

Leading the way for the Trevians is senior All-State forward, who has collected 39 goals and 15 assists this season. The Trevians have scored 81 goals this year.

Joining Beaver are two other all-sectional selections, senior midfielder Matt Hickey (8 goals, 20 assists) and senior keeper John Secaras (1.5 GAA).

The other semifinal matchup features two squads that are both own 11-match winning streaks, Lake Zurich and Edwardsville.

Much was expected from coach Mike Schmitz' Bears this season and they have definitely been putting things together when it counts.

During its current win streak, Lake Zurich has outscored its opposition by an impressive 54-5 margin, including a 6-1 win over Schaumburg in the super-sectional.

Senior All-Staters forward Nick Janus (22 goals) and Eric Pothast (12 goals) and senior all-sectional forward Tim Kreutz (19 goals) lead the way for the Bears.

LT met up with Lake Zurich in a Pepsi Showdown quarterfinal match on September 17 and emerged with a 1-0 victory.

Edwardsville lost several players from last year's runnerup to New Trier but finds itself back in the mix after beating Eisenhower 4-1 in the super-sectional.

Coach Mark Heiderscheid also led his program to a state championship in 2000 and a second place finish the following year.

The Tigers are led by senior All-State forward Cameron Lauchner (17 goals, 16 assists) and senior midfielder Nick Marshall (9 goals, 10 assists), an all-sectional pick.

Lions Roster

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Lions Postseason Play