Alex Earl got the bends and that got Wheaton Academy third place in the Class A tournament Saturday night at North Central College in Naperville. The junior’s 23rd goal of the season was all the Warriors needed in a 1-0 victory over Danville Schlarman.
Earl was fouled and connected on the ensuing free kick from 23 yards out in the 36th minute.
“They were more overprotecting the post, but I still managed to get it around,” said Earl of his 23rd goal of the season. “I don’t know how I did it really. I’ve been practicing them all season and they’ve never done that.”
Senior Jason VanderVeen played only 10 second-half minutes of the third-place game, after reinjuring his left ankle in the semifinal match.
“I had to do some convincing, you know, it’s the last game of my high school career,” said VanderVeen, who had his left ankle X-rayed after the 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Winnebago on Friday night. “[Coach Chip Huber] let me know it wasn’t critical that I play.”
Wheaton Academy’s 2-1 semifinal setback to a physical Gibault squad was its only Class A loss of the season. Earl accounted for the lone goal on a bending second-half free kick from 26 yards.
The season-ending victory was a gratifying end to a tumultuous week that saw the Warriors (17-7-4) lose two starters to suspension. At the tournament Wheaton Academy suffered injuries to senior scoring leaders Jimmy King and VanderVeen, and gave major minutes to untested junior varsity players.
“We figured that some guys would step up, and they did,” VanderVeen said. “We finished well and that’s all you can ask.”
Gibault scored 37 seconds into the match on a floating 38-yard free kick from Zach Bement, his first goal of the season. Tyler Crawford chested down a serve from Brett Row, then dipped the game-winner under the cross bar from 18 yards in the 73rd minute.
