Best year yet for North-Suburban Conference
News-Sun staff report November 7, 2012 4:58PM
Antioch's Iven Hernandez (left) can't get this past Grant goalie Nick Heidenthal. | Michael Schmidt~Sun-Times Media
ALL-NSC BOYS SOCCER TEAM
FIRST-TEAM SELECTIONS North Suburban Prairie Teams (22 picks)
Lakes — Lucas Istvanek, Ramon Marin, Trevor Ray, Ryan Kostreva & Caleb Arnwind.
Grant — Andes Velarde.
North Chicago — Cesa Maravilla & Carlos Moreno.
Round Lake — Mauricio Salgado, Edgar Rodriguez, Lorenzo Cortez, Mariano Narvarz, Freddie Ramirez & Abraham Murua.
Vernon Hills — Evan Borden, Jonathan Ramirez & Ryan Bryson.
Wauconda — Jesue Marquez & Tim Warzula.
North Suburban Lake Teams (28 picks)
Lake Forest — Adam LaVitola, John Moderwell & Peter Passalino.
Lake Zurich — Matt Montemayor, John Repplinger & Miguel Hernandez.
Zion-Benton — Maren Matute & Ivan Martinez.
Warren — Daniel Szczepanek, Timmy Pieper, Sean Kirwan, Nick Wegrzynowicz & Rafa Macias.
Stevenson — Quentin Low, Mike Weinstein, Toshiki Nimi, Ross Comitor, Mike Dobin & Joseph Hugener.
Mundelein — Eric Morales, Alejandro Terapas & Harrison Richards.
Libertyville — Ryan McKenzie, Phillip Williams, Ralf Zehnter, Tomide Owolabi, Lloyd Chatfield & Austin Bitta.
Updated: December 9, 2012 7:23PM
Never in the long history of the North Suburban Conference has there been a season like the one just completed.
Three things made it a year to remember:
■ Warren became the first NSC team to win the state championship, as it captured the big-school title.
■ Stevenson finished fourth in the state tourney, meaning the NSC had two teams finish in the top four at state.
■ The 14-team team league was so deep in talent that every squad was competitive. Unlike other sports, where some teams are slaughterers and some are slaughterees, the soccer season featured competitive play from top to bottom.
That tremendous balance was reflected in two ways:
N The North Suburban Conference champ — Libertyville — was not one of the two NSC teams that finished in the Final Four at state.
■ The North Suburban All-Conference Team announced recently featured at least one player from each team, and more than one player from schools that often get blanked in all-league voting in other sports.
NSC Division champions Libertyville and Round Lake each had six players picked for the team, as did Stevenson.
Lakes and Warren had five players honored.
