Three things to know
1. Latin defeated Holy Trinity 2-0 in a Class 1A North Shore Sectional semifinal Tuesday to qualify for its first sectional championship in five years. Veteran coach Tom Bower said sophomore midfielder John Schuler is the player “that makes us go.” Schuler’s older brother Henry played on the sectional finalist. The Romans (16-6-1) have just three seniors and junior goalkeeper Andrew Wiggin has not surrendered a goal in the state tournament. “We’re due for a run,” Bower said.
2. Crystal Lake South blitzed the field (5-0) to win the Valley division of the Fox Valley Conference and earn the No. 1 seed at Jacobs Regional in the Class 3A DeKalb Sectional. Midfielders Charlie Ruff and Orlando Tapia power the middle of the Gators’ attack. Senior Andrew Perrine is the team’s top defender. Crystal Lake South (15-5-1) beat all three teams (Cary-Grove, McHenry, Jacobs) that make up the rest of the regional during conference action.
3. Boasting the top two ranked programs (Morton and Lyons), the Class 3A Lyons Sectional features star power at the top. The Class 3A Bolingbrook Sectional showcases staggering high level depth with seven ranked teams fronted by top-seed and No. 9 Naperville Central, No. 4 Batavia and No. 8 Naperville North. Plainfield South and No. 13 Plainfield North are the darkhorse teams. Despite going 16-4-3 during the regular season, the host Raiders managed only a 12th-seed.
