Lake Central senior Jackson McCabe can create havoc.
That’s the case whether he’s a forward or a defender.
“I always tell people, Jackson is the fastest, most athletic kid I know,” senior forward Michael Miljevic said. “Without really even trying, he’s just insanely athletic and fast. He just gives us something no one can really handle with his speed and athletic ability.”
McCabe started this season as an outside defender, shifted to the right wing midway through it and has been difficult for opponents to handle throughout.
He displayed that again during the Indians’ 3-1 win against Munster in a Class 3A Highland Sectional semifinal on Wednesday, including on his assist on the game’s final goal.
Lake Central (14-3), a Duneland Athletic Conference co-champion ranked No. 9 in the final state coaches poll, will play Hammond Central (7-5) in the sectional championship game on Saturday.
“His pace changes the game for us,” Lake Central coach Jereme Rainwater said. “He puts crosses in there. He’s tracking back defensively. He’s a kid who plays 80 minutes every game.
“He went higher up the field as the season went on. He’s just been outstanding.”
When McCabe was younger, he utilized his physical talent to also play basketball and baseball before focusing on soccer.
“I was the worst at soccer out of all of them,” he said. “But I wanted to challenge myself.”
McCabe, who has nine goals and 10 assists this season, has been a fixture for the Indians throughout his career.
He spent last season at forward after playing as a defender as a sophomore. As a freshman, he earned a starting spot at forward for the postseason, and he scored a goal less than a minute into a 2020 sectional final against Munster, although Lake Central wound up losing 5-1.
“Scoring that goal against Munster, top right, is one of my favorite memories from high school,” McCabe said. “But we lost.”
Actually, until Wednesday, no current Lake Central player had defeated Munster. The Mustangs (16-2), the Northwest Crossroads Conference champions ranked No. 13, were 5-0-1 in the past six matchups, including a 2-1 win on Sept. 11. Miljevic and senior midfielder Craig Rusin missed that game with ankle injuries, however.
“We had a battle in September, and we didn’t end up on the right side,” Rainwater said. “Then this one comes this way. Sometimes it works out that way: You don’t get the first one, but you get the second one. I say we play that game 10 times, it’s probably five and five.
“We circled this game on the calendar since last year. In the offseason, all the guys coming back, we talked about it.”
Munster also beat Lake Central in a 2021 sectional final. So this victory was especially sweet for the Indians.
“It’s the best feeling,” McCabe said. “We hadn’t beaten them in our four years here. They’re our No. 1 rivals. It feels so good to get them finally.”
Miljevic agreed with McCabe, noting the buildup before the game.
“The first two years, we lost to them. They sent our brothers home,” he said. “So this feels great. It feels like we’re getting revenge and also winning for ourselves. Everyone was anxious all day. It’s just a relief. Big win for us. It means a lot to everybody.”
Miljevic suggested he saw it coming.
“We just had intensity,” he said. “The bus ride here, you could tell everyone was locked in.”
Indeed, Miljevic scored less than a minute into the game on an assist from junior defender Tyler Onik.
Munster senior forward Nolan Kinsella, an Indiana commit, tied it with his 43rd goal on a penalty kick, extending his single-season program record. But Rusin regained the lead for Lake Central by converting a PK.
McCabe set up an insurance goal, putting a pass on a plate for senior midfielder Miller Knestrict, who tapped the ball into the net.
“We played with passion and aggression,” McCabe said. “We outworked them. Never beating them and then losing to them again during the regular season, it brought something out of us. We’re going to use it the rest of the way.”
