By Scott Taylor | @Taylor_Sports
Soccer is becoming a powerhouse sport in Minooka.
After the girls soccer team had one of its best seasons in program history in the spring, the boys have followed that up in the fall with an 11-3 start.
“We have athletic kids who are talented and they know what to do,” Minooka coach Chris Brolley said. “They have the skill and the talent and it is fun to work with. Our chemistry has been huge and that goes a long way with high school kids. It is fun. The senior leaders are doing really well.”
“I’ve been playing since freshman year and this is the best start I’ve ever had,” Minooka senior Kyle Sparks said. “I’m glad because this is my senior year and I want to go out strong.”
That chemistry, which Brolley, who is also the girls coach noted, was strong during the girls season as well, has made a big difference this year for the boys.
“I think it has been our bond with our teammates,” Sparks said of the reason for their success. “We’re all close and willing to work hard for each other.”
The chemistry and strong play has led to the No. 3 seed in the Peoria Notre Dame Sectional.
“It is a good seed for us,” Brolley said. “We got a lot of respect in that sectional. There are a lot of good teams and we are going to have to prove ourselves.”
Proving themselves would include bringing home some hardware. That process begins at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Moline Regional against No. 6 Moline.
A win puts them in the regional championship at 5 p.m. Oct. 21, likely against No. 2 Normal.
“We want to get a sectional title. We need to practice hard every day,” Sparks said.
The defensive side of the ball appears to be the key to the Indians’ postseason success.
“We need to limit giving up goals, so we need to work on the defensive side,” Brolley said. “We still don’t have everyone healthy and have been mixing things up. Once we get everyone back we can really assess things.”
Before the playoffs though, the Southwest Prairie Conference is still up for grabs as Minooka (5-1) takes on Oswego East (unbeaten) Thursday in what has been largely a deep and balanced conference.
“The conference this year has been crazy,” Brolley said. “I think there is more parity in the conference this year than ever before. Just about every game is competitive.”
One of the biggest wins of the year for the Indians came last week in a 6-2 takedown of Romeoville, which included three goals from Sparks.
“I was coming in off of a suspension, so I wanted to come in and play hard,” Sparks said. “I had to miss the first half, so I came in and had to play hard so we can get this conference win.”
“That is a good performance offensively,” Brolley said. “We had a couple lasers in there, too. We had some ridiculously good looking shots. We had a fight in us tonight, especially in the second half. We were ready to go.”
VOLLEYBALL
Minooka topped Plainfield East 25-11, 25-13. Hollie Bonde had nine kills and four blocks, Brooklyn Bachmann had 24 assists, Taylor Baranski totaled 17 digs and Alli Papesh had 10 kills and seven digs.
Minooka beat Joliet Central 25-11, 25-11. Holly Bonde had seven kills, Rocky Perinar tallied six kills, Taylor Baranski had 10 digs and Brooklyn Bachmann added 22 assists.
•Lockport beat Lincoln-Way West 27-25, 25-16. Serene Jones had seven kills and seven digs, Jasmine Raudys had six kills and Cuay Whitener added five kills.
The Porters won the Tinley Park Tournament over the weekend, beating the hosts in the championship. JoDee Kovanda had 14 kills and eight assists in the title match.