Batavia’s Justin Geer–he of the apropos name for a soccer striker–is well aware what this season means.
“Being my senior year, I’m glad I have a chance to win a state title,” says Geer, who scored 13 goals last season for the Bulldogs. “What a great thing that would be.”
No, Geer is not delirious. He’s not naive. And he knows his geography. Geer realizes St. Titletown is just a few miles up the road. And he’s heard of the Fremds, Downers Grove Souths and Libertyvilles.
He also knows that this is the first year boys soccer will be split into two classes–A and AA for the alphabetically challenged–giving the enrollment-challenged teams like Batavia their chance at a state title.
And while high school sports fans in Illinois generally believe Class A is just another term for declasse, this is definitely not the case in boys soccer.
“It will help us as well as the smaller schools that have a difficult time competing against the schools with 2,000, 3,000 or 4,000 students,” says Batavia coach Katie Keller, one of the few women coaching boys soccer in the state. “There’s some excellent competition in Class A. It should be very competitive.”
High school soccer fans may have a tough time deciding which state tournament to attend, because both are the same weekend (Nov. 7-8), but at different sites. The Class AA tournament is at St. Charles, Class A at Edwardsville.
The dividing line between Class AA and Class A in boys soccer is an enrollment of 1,288. That means that the likes of Carmel (1,288), Lake Forest (1,271), St. Ignatius (1,269), Deerfield (1,245), Benet (1,238) and, yes, Batavia (1,223) are grouped with the Maltas and North Shore Country Days of the world.
In last year’s tournament, won by St. Charles, two Elite Eight teams would have been considered Class A–St. Viator (now 810) and Normal University (579).
Marty Hickman, assistant executive director of the Illinois High School Association, says there’s been very little criticism of the class split.
“Some schools are disappointed with the cutoff,” says Hickman, who is in charge of the girls and boys soccer tournaments. “They think it’s too high.”
But as more of the smaller schools add soccer, Hickman said, the cutoff point will downsize as well.
For now, schools like Batavia–which could find itself back in Class AA in the future–are planning to make the most of their chances at a state title.
It’s not that Batavia and Keller are unfamiliar with success. The Bulldogs have been to the finals three times and finished third in 1992. It didn’t hurt to have Mike Fisher on that team, or the team that made it to the Elite Eight in 1993. All Fisher went on to do was win the Hermann Trophy (college soccer’s version of the Heisman) in 1995 and 1996 and become Virginia’s all-time scoring leader with 56 goals and 55 assists.
“When I first found out that a woman was the boys high school coach, it was a little unusual,” says Fisher, now preparing to enter medical school at Virginia instead of an expected career in pro soccer. “But growing up, I had gone to her soccer camp and knew her approach to the game.
“I always thought we had a great relationship. Katie knew the game, put the right players on the field and let us play. She was a real easy person to get along with. Everyone wanted to do well for her.”
Keller played for the men’s soccer team at Aurora College and started a women’s club program at the school. Before graduating in 1983, she was the player-coach.
While in college she had worked soccer camps–some of them all boys–with former national team coach Bob Gansler and Wheaton College coach Joe Bean. After college, Keller took a teaching job at Batavia. But she coached girls basketball and softball because there was no soccer team.
That changed in 1984, when she became the boys sophomore coach. In 1985, she moved up the varsity and has been there since.
Keller feels the effect of being only a few miles from St. Charles, where soccer championships are expected.
“We’re definitely aware of the dynasty they have,” says Keller, whose 215-64-15 record over 13 seasons isn’t exactly on the shabby side. “We respect what they have accomplished.”
It’s what Batavia would like to accomplish this season. She’s counting on defender Noah Lewis, who suffered a broken leg during a game last season; goalkeeper Sean Steuart; midfielder Eddie Felber and Geer. All are seniors and all, she says, “really understand” the significance of the chance to win a state title.
Of course, Batavia and Keller are not the only ones who understand such significance. St. Viator has been there and would have been one of the favorites in Class AA, let alone Class A, if Jarrett Payton had not opted for the other form of football.
Still, the Lions have seniors like Tim Storino and Tom Nolan back from a team that finished third in the state and dropped a 1-0 squeaker to St. Charles in the 1996 semifinals.
“Don’t think that because we’re in Class A this is going to be an easy ride,” says St. Viator coach Mike Taylor, who believes the class split is a good idea.
Certainly, teams like Carmel won’t make things any easier for St. Viator. Junior Pat Thomas, a member of the 17-under state select team, is built like a football player at 5 feet 9 inches, 170 pounds. But coach Chris Mikrut is grateful he’s playing soccer.
“He doesn’t get pushed off the ball–he’s very physical,” Mikrut says. “For the last two years, his skills have improved tremendously.”
Mikrut believes regardless of class, it’s going to be just as difficult to advance to the state tournament.
“St. Joseph and Viator are huge rivalries for us,” Mikrut says. “Single A is going to be very tough.”
