Our Girls Soccer Team of the Week is @FMCHSGirlSoccer. WINNERS of the Class 1A State Championship with a 3-0 victory over Pleasant Plains. Congratulations!! 618!!
Monday news and notes...
🏐 The IHSA is set to move the start date for boys volleyball one week earlier beginning in 2027.
The rationale? Eliminate end-of-year graduation conflicts.
Wait...what?
So we're moving boys volleyball deeper into May...when the majority of graduations actually take place?
⚽ When it comes to soccer, high school needs club and club needs high school.
Club develops players. High school showcases them.
What’s the first question people ask after watching a standout high school player?
“What club do they play for?”
When the two sides work together, everybody wins and Saturday’s Illinois 3A girls soccer state championship was a perfect example.
Galaxy serves as the pipeline for Naperville Central. FC United does the same for New Trier.
History tells the same story.
Look at the dominant runs by Sandburg and Lincoln-Way. Both programs benefited from elite talent developed by Chicago Magic and Windy City Pride during their peak years.
When adults work together to create opportunities, kids truly thrive - on and off the field.
Remember: The tug-of-war isn’t coming from the players. It's coming from adults and egos on BOTH sides.
⭐ How can you not be happy for Father McGivney coach Jason Turkington? His team captured the 1A state title.
Two years ago, his daughter Gabi (pictured right) stood proud after Althoff Catholic won a state championship, just like he and his son, Beckett (pictured left), did on Saturday afternoon.
Pretty cool family moment.
Previously, Jason was the longtime boys coach at O’Fallon.
📈 Speaking of New Trier...
The Trevians have reached 11 IHSA state championship matches since 2003.
Those 11 teams combined to go 299-16-1 overall with an 8-3 record on the last day of the season at North Central College in Naperville
Up next: Coach Jim Burnside’s final season next spring.
#MoreThanJUSTGames #IHSA
Final Score
Pleasant Plains: 0
Father McGivney: 3
The Griffins are STATE CHAMPIONS for the first time in SCHOOL HISTORY. A long season comes to an end as the Griffins secure the 1A First Place Trophy.
#IHSA
From the largest class to the smallest class - and as a parent - Jason Turkington has seen every side of the IHSA.
He’s experienced the best of it and the frustrating, out-of-touch moments, too, as a father trying to help his daughter.
Through it all, one thing has never changed: Jason’s focus on what’s best for all kids - not just some.
That mindset has helped carry Father McGivney to the 1A Final Four this weekend in Naperville.
Twenty years ago, he led O’Fallon to the AA state quarterfinals. It dropped a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to Warren (Gurnee).
Now - two decades later - Jason will walk back on the same field. This time, however, he’ll be leaving with a trophy.
And for a coach who has always put kids first, that's a pretty fitting ending.
#MoreThanJUSTGames #IHSA