Warriors, Lions ready for Class 2A semifinal showdown

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By Curt Herron

Wheaton Academy and Saint Viator both look to make a little history when they take part in this weekend's IHSA Class 2A state finals in Naperville.

The Warriors will be attempting to repeat as Class 2A champions while the Lions are hoping to capture their first title since 2005 and their fourth overall.

Both squads' hopes kick off this morning when they clash in an 11 a.m. semifinal match at North Central College's Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

Coach Scott Marksberry's Warriors (18-3-1) have won seven straight and are 13-0-1 in their last 14 matches, which features four consecutive shutouts and five in the last six games.

Meanwhile, coach Mike Taylor's Lions (20-8-1) have gone 12-1 since opening their season with an 8-7-1 mark. They also have four straight shutouts as well as six in their last eight.

Ally Witt (17 goals), Crystal Thomas (16 goals, 11 assists), Alexa Sharkey (12 goals) and Sydney Sharkey (15 assists) are some of the Warriors' leading scorers.

Taylor Skala (35 goals, 8 assists), Katelyn Hammarlund (18 goals), Sam Gavin (10 assists) and Meghan McGrath (7 goals) are some Lions leaders in scoring.

Wheaton Academy will be going after its third state championship, with the first one being claimed in 2004 for coach Dave Underwood in the school's first state trip.

Marksberry, whose Warriors beat Lemont 3-0 in last year's Class 2A finals, hopes to join an elite group of coaches who have captured back-to-back titles in the girls tournament.

They include St. Charles' Joe Moreau (1996-2000), Waubonsie Valley's Julie Bergstrom (2007-08), New Trier's Jim Burnside (2003-04) and Saint Viator's Rory Dames (2002-03).

Taylor would like to add to the boys state championship that he led Saint Viator to during the fall, to go along with the 2003 title that he also won with the Lions' boys.

The Lions have won three state titles in their initial five trips to the state tournament, with their last championship coming in 2005.

In his first year with Saint Viator's girls, he hopes to join Palatine's Willie Fillian, who is the only coach to win titles for boys and girls in the same school year (1994-95).

Waterloo Gibault's Jim Corsi won a boys title in 2006 but took second with the girls in 2007 while Lincoln-Way's Brian Papa had second-place boys and girls teams in 1999-2000.

In today's 1 p.m. semifinal, Peoria Notre Dame (19-4-2) takes on unbeaten Belleville Althoff (25-0) for the right to advance to Saturday's 1 p.m. state championship.

Notre Dame is making its sixth state trip in nine years while Althoff is at state for the fourth time in seven years. Neither program has captured a state title.

Althoff has three All-Staters in Megan Pawloski (50 goals), Kelsey Dinges (35 goals) and Tess Huettner while Notre Dame's All-Stater is Jennie Coughlon (21 goals).