Warren ends Broncos' season in sectional final
By Gary Larsen

CLICK HERE FOR BARRINGTON'S TEAM PAGE

The curtain fell on a 19-win season for Barrington on Friday, but senior Craig Zahour won’t forget the final act of his high school career.

“This senior season has been great. The last three years we lost in regionals, so it was nice to see us get to a sectional final this year. It took four years but we did it, and I couldn’t be more proud of my team,” Zahour said.

Barrington (19-4-3) lost 2-1 to Warren (19-5-3) in a Class 3A sectional final, in a game that saw two quality sides butting heads for 80 minutes.

“You can’t get caught up in the agony of (losing). You have to look at it the big picture,” Barrington coach Scott Steib said. “Either way, it’s just a great soccer game between two good teams.”

Warren got a pair of goals from Auner Solis before the Broncos halved the lead at 70 minutes on an Andrew Simek goal. A frenetic final ten minutes saw Simek hit a crossbar and Zahour send a shot just wide before the final buzzer.

The Blue Devils feature a player with a lofty reputation in Marquette-bound senior mid Daniel Szczepanek, but Warren showed throughout that its whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

“They come down your throat constantly,” Zahour said. “I don’t necessarily want to take any respect away from their backline, but their attacking four is definitely talented. They’ll definitely keep you in your end if you’re not careful, so you’ve got to get yourself out and play through it.”

While Szczepanek, Solis, Sean Kirwan, and Nick Wegrzynowicz played with quickness and purpose throughout the contest, legitimate shots on frame were hard to come by for either side.

Barrington’s Kendall Stork – who netted 18 goals as a freshman this year – cut a ball to his left, deep in Warren’s penalty area just two minutes in, but a Blue Devils defender took the shot off his foot, setting the tone for the night.

Szczepanek sent a handful of flip-throw bombs to the Barrington goalmouth through 10 minutes, and Warren struck first at 12 minutes when Solis dribbled up, deked a defender, and fired to the back netting from 18 yards out.

Barrington keeper Pat Deroche saved a Solis head shot a minute later. Barrington earned a number of restarts in the first half, but keeper RJ Hill and the Warren backline cleared out every ball sent in.

The Broncos’ Dylan Nelson dove and blocked a Rafa Macias shot attempt from the top of the box in the final minute before halftime, and Warren led 1-0 at the break.

“I’m glad the game played out the way it did – it was just two good teams working their (tails) off,” Zahour said.

Nelson thwarted Szczepanek at 50 minutes, and Deroche made a diving save over the endline at 54 minutes on a Nick Haas shot. Deroche punched the ensuing corner kick up in the air, Warren got a head on it, and the Broncos’ Connor Hennelly headed the shot away on the goal line.

Solis made it 2-0 at 62 minutes on a Wegrzynowicz feed to the goalmouth, and eight minutes later Stork fed Simek, who cut it to his right in the box and fired past a charging Hill.

“Simek is off of jayvee and he scores a goal, he scored for us at the Freeport tournament this year, and he’s just out there working hard,” Steib said. “He’s got a bright future. I like his mentality.”

The Broncos’ Fernando Telles sent a few long freekicks into the mixer down the stretch. Simek shot off the crossbar with a minute left in regulation, and one final Ethan Claes freekick serve for Barrington went for naught as time expired. 

Barrington bids farewell to eight seniors on its roster, in Zahour, Claes, Telles, Nelson, Danny Jaderholm, Jack Hoots, Alex Broderick, and Zach Rowe. Nelson, Telles, and Rowe helped lead a Broncos defense that gave up 20 goals in 26 games and posted 12 shutouts, including a streak of six in a row.

Claes, Zahour, Hennelly, and Logan Morris made up a rock-solid midfield in 2012, for a team that Steib urged to walk out of the stadium with its collective chin held high after Friday’s loss.

“I’m proud of this group. I’ve not been more proud of a team than this,” Steib said. “When you win 25 games and win a state title (in 2007) it’s hard to top that in terms of emotion and everything, but in terms of pride, I’m very proud of this group.

“This senior group is awesome and in terms of people, it’s really a good group of kids. They’re good players, they do everything right, so you really hope it goes the right way for these kids.”

Barrington’s future in 2013 also looks bright. At all levels, the program posted a 70-11-13 record this season.

Deroche, Stork, Simek, Morris, Hennelly, David Conrad, Griffin Claes, Danny Belleno, Tyler Anderson, Sean Kim, Shawn Owen, Jonathan Wilson, and Jason Frenk will all return next season.

“The foundation is laid again, where the example has been set, and we actually have a pretty young team,” Steib said. “We lose eight seniors but there are some pretty key guys that are juniors, sophomores, and freshmen.

“I’m proud of what’s been happening in the program. We’ve got a good staff and good kids. We’re in a better spot right now than we’ve been in a few years.”