Soccer: Foxes' family ties

Brothers are bound to drive each other crazy at times, especially when living in the same home.

The younger brother might feel like his older brother gets more freedom and can basically do whatever he wants.

The older brother may frown upon his younger brother, believing he or another sibling is now getting all the attention.

At Yorkville, a bunch of brothers are trying to lead the Foxes to victories. With four separate sets of brothers, and a potential fifth set to possibly arrive from the JV squad before the season ends, it’s resulted in a rare roster scenario.

Junior starting goalkeeper Jonathan Seger said it’s unheard of for a team to consist of this many siblings so it’s providing quite the experience.

“Not many can say they can be a part of something like this,” he said. “I think we all get along well together and it strengthens our team because we know each other so well.”

The younger Seger, sophomore Jack, usually is one of the first to come off the bench for the Foxes. He said there’s extra motivation, but also pressure to contribute as the so-called “little brother.”

”It’s not just pleasing your teammates, but it’s pleasing that same guy you drive home with after practice and games,” Jack said.

“It’s kind of weird and different, but with so many of us, it makes it easier,” he added. “I think what makes it more difficult is the pressure we put on each other. I mean, I encourage my brother all the time and pat him on the back, but when you don’t win it can be tough.”

That can result in some tough postgame situations. While most athletes can get away from the game when they finally get home, these guys take the game home with a fellow teammate.

“The car rides home can be terrible,” sophomore Edgar Barrientos said. “My brother will call me out if I don’t do what I’m supposed to do, but I won’t call him out since he’s older.”

Edgar has played with older brother, junior Alex Barrientos, since they were about seven or eight years old. Last season, Alex played on varsity while Edgar was on the sophomore squad. Now they’re teammates once again.

“We work with each other a lot, and we know what we’re going to do and it makes us better,” Alex said. “We get very aggressive and we both want to win.”

Senior Jeremy Schwarz didn’t know what it would be like to play with his sophomore brother, Ryan Schwarz, since the two really had never played on the same soccer team before.

“He had been playing football and hockey so this is kind of new,” Jeremy said. “I can get away with saying more things to him than other people on the team because he’s my brother.”

Sophomore Evan Torok has big shoes to fill most nights as he generally subs in for senior brother Jackson Torok. They’re both enjoying this unique chance to play together since it’s their final opportunity to do it.

“I don’t get much playing time on varsity but I’m utilizing my minutes and enjoying playing with him,” Evan said. “And we’ve always been competitive in sports, whether it’s basketball, baseball or anything so we push each other.”

For all these brothers, they’re playing for each other rather than against each other, so the sibling rivalry is taking a respite on the field.

“When he steps on the field I know he’s got my back and I’ve got his,” Jackson said. “It’s pretty cool because I know when I’m gone he’ll try to continue the legacy that we started here and I’m confident he’ll make sure things go well.”