Hornets show well in regional loss to DG North

 

By Casey Callanan
Photos courtesy of Harry Bull

Facing elite competition week after week ultimately put Hinsdale South in the position to win a regional championship.

Having already played Morton (twice), Lyons, Downers Grove South and Hinsdale Central, the Hornets came into Saturday’s regional final with the confidence to dethrone powerhouse Downers Grove North.

However, the No. 3 seeded Trojans managed to fend off the ninth seeded Hornets (8-12-4) in a 2-0 victory and capture the regional crown.  Both goals came from sophomore Anthony Jeffries.

Trojan junior Zachary Parik’s throw-in from 20 yards inside midfield was key in setting Jeffries up to score. After the first 25 minutes of the game teetered back and forth, the Trojans broke through first and led 1-0.

“We got a throw-in on the far side and it went over my head,” Jeffries said. “I got a lucky volley on it and I rolled it into the corner.”

The Trojans held a slight edge in the possession battle, but the always-dangerous Paul Hogan was having a relatively quiet first half. Hogan was a goal-scoring machine in the regular season but was being held in check by Hinsdale senior Nick Henry.

“(Henry) did a great job marking Paul,” said Downers North coach Brian Gervase. “He kept Paul from getting quality looks.”

With Hogan engaged in a constant cat-and-mouse battle against Henry, Jeffries stepped in again to make a difference. With six minutes left before halftime Jeffries dribbled his way up field and fired an unassisted goal to give his squad the 2-0 lead.

“I saw the ball, went after it and got the poke far post,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries second goal was a prime example of how quickly the Trojan’s talent can light up the scoreboard. 

“The first goal they scored was kind of a scrum goal, but the second one was just a great individual effort,” Henry said.

The Hornets had their hands full with the two highly touted forwards.

“We went in with the game plan that I was going to be on Paul. When your up against two great forwards you just have to pick your poison,” Henry said.

The best scoring chance of the day came four minutes into the second half for Hinsdale South. With Downers goalie Matt Paprocki out of position, the Hornets gained an open header for Joe Petrak that banged off the side post.

“We knew we had to come out and score in the second half. We had to put pressure on them and we did have chances,” said Hinsdale South coach James VanDenburgh.

Petrak’s missed header turned out to be one of the final shots that came Paprocki’s way, and the Trojans held on for the shutout.

“Our defenders are probably the strongest part of our team,” Gervase said. “Marcin (Modzelewski) and (Thomas) Budnik are strong capable kids back there.”

Paprocki had three saves, while Hinsdale South goalie Paras Patel was kept on his toes all afternoon. Patel had eight saves and allowed two goals against one of the hottest teams in the state.

“We’re playing a team like Downers North who has destroyed some of the best teams in the state 4-0 and 5-0. We’re proud we were able to hold them to two goals,” Henry said.

The Trojans will look to extend their season once again as they advance to Tuesday’s sectional at Argo High School in Summit. According to Gervase, the opponent will be top ranked Lyons.

“We feel we’re as good as any team in the state,” Gervase said.

The Hornets impressive post-season run is over, but VanDenburgh’s squad was able to hang with the best in large part because of the strength of their regular season schedule.

“We played some top level teams and that really helped us gel,” he said. “I’m proud of my guys we played a great game and my hat goes off to Downers North.”