Lions had plenty of motivation to capture Class 2A championship

By Curt Herron

Saturday's Class 2A championship between Saint Viator and Peoria Notre Dame at North Central College featured more subplots than most title matches.

And whether individually or collectively, they contributed in some way to helping coach Mike Taylor's squad to capture a 1-0 victory over the Irish.

The win capped a 24-4-1 campaign during which the Lions returned to state prominence by winning their second state title, with the other coming in 2003.

First of all, there was redemption for a program that had won six trophies between 1996 and 2004 but had had failed to make a return trip to state since.

Saint Viator hadn't managed to reach sectional play during the past three years with regional losses the past two years following great regular seasons.

Then there was simply the case of revenge, as in trying to avenge an earlier 3-2 defeat to an opponent after your squad owned a 2-0 halftime advantage.

That's just what happened to the Lions when they met Notre Dame on October 3 in the championship game of the Mid-State Classic in Peoria.

Also, there was the disappointment of a 1-1-1 finish in the regular season during which time a hoped for conference championship slipped away.

Saint Viator was 6-0 in East Suburban Catholic play when a tie to St. Joseph and a loss to eventual champion Carmel dashed its title hopes.

And finally there was the case of sibling rivalries that comes whenever current team members had brothers who played on previous championship teams.

That was the case for three members of this year's Lions squad, seniors Kevin Cavers and Brendan King and junior Bill Krawzak.

Their older brothers, Mike Cavers, T.J. King and Ray Krawzak, were all seniors on Saint Viator's 2003 state championship squad.

Several players from that team were in attendance on Saturday to root on the Lions, many still wearing warmups stating that they were 2003 state champions.

While the 2009 group didn't get to experience it, the 2003 team certainly can recall the memories of the classic semifinal clashes that happened between their program and Notre Dame.

Between 2000 and 2004, the Lions and Irish met up four times in the Class A semifinals, settling for a split in those matches.

Taylor and company prevailed in one-goal victories in both 2000 and 2003 while Notre Dame claimed wins in 2001 and 2004.

And finally, a little extra incentive for Saint Viator was the bleached blond hair that this year's squad sported at state, a tribute to the previous title squad.

But as the Lions coach was also quick to caution his squad, if they stepped onto the field with their hair looking like that, they'd better be able to back it up.

While all of things helped to provide plenty of motivation for the Lions to win a title, they weren't of particular concern to a talented Notre Dame squad.

Coach Mike Bare's Irish entered the title match with plenty of incentive of its own, most important being their desire to repeat as the Class 2A champions.

Notre Dame had rattled off 17 straight victories since dropping a 4-0 decision to nationally-regarded Reitz Memorial of Evansville, Indiana on September 19.

That was the only time all season that the Irish had failed to score a goal in all of their 26 matches that preceded the state championship.

Just a day after a pair of semifinal romps, an exciting third place match won in four overtimes by Triad over Freeport set the tone for a thrilling final.

And that's just what unfolded for the large gathering that turned out on a beautiful fall afternoon in Naperville to see the Lions and Irish battle.

Saint Viator stunned Notre Dame with the opening salvo when senior Billy Hamilton fired in a free kick from about 25 yards out at the 2:21 mark.

With a Lion squad that had outscored foes 33-3 in the playoffs taking on an Irish group that had done the same by a 29-4 margin, more scoring was expected.

But thanks to a great goalkeeping performance from Lions junior Scott Faul and an excellent defensive effort led by the four-year staple King, that was it.

The Lions withstood all that Notre Dame threw at them down the stretch and effectively killed off the final minutes with the ball barely moving upfield.

A jubilant celebration ensued, as was to be expected, as Saint Viator made amends for the recent past by demonstrating that it was a deserving state champ.

As the festivities poured out of the stadium and into the parking lot, the latest group of Lions got the chance to savor how it feels to be the state's best.

Replacing All-Stater Trevor Wheeler, all-sectional selections Alan Aboona and Cavers and veterans like Hamilton and King will be obviously be impossible.

But the cupboard will definitely be far from bare, providing Taylor and his fine coaching staff plenty of quality players to work with for next season.

And with the 2009 squad equaling the showing of the 2003 group, it's a good bet that the 2010 Lions will have plenty of incentive to get back to state.

Class 2A State Championship

Lions starters vs. Peoria Notre Dame

Lions 1, Peoria Notre Dame 0

Lions Class 2A Championship Season

Postseason play

Lions state final appearances under Mike Taylor