Cam Guernon sparks Kaneland’s quick start in win over DeKalb

MAPLE PARK – Cam Guernon said the entire focus for the Kaneland soccer team heading into its match Thursday against DeKalb was to score quickly.

So when the ball skipped out in the Barbs’ half less than a minute into the game, the senior forward knew what he had to do.

Guernon scored 48 seconds into the game, the Knights scored the first four goals and held on for a 4-2 win.

“The whole thing coming into the game is score quick, score quick, score quick,” Guernon said after scoring twice in the game. “The ball pops out, and I’m just crashing it all the time.”

The offense for the Knights (15-6-1) was far from done. It took them 23 minutes to score again, but in the 24th minute a corner kick by Abe Paulino found the back of the net off a DeKalb player.

In the 32nd minute, Guernon’s header put the Knights up 3-0. Five minutes later Jovan Ruiz connected on a penalty kick as the Barbs (5-13) were in a 4-0 hole at the break.

“Four goals in the first half is always good,” Guernon said. “It’s all we talked about too coming in, get on them quick and don’t let them back into it.”

The Barbs started rolling in the second half. In the 60th minute, Joaquin Benitez made the perfect pass to Mauricio Jasso, who wasted little time in getting a shot off, going top shelf and in to cut the Kaneland lead to 4-1.

Ten minutes later Benitez connected from the left side for the second DeKalb goal.

“I think the second half showed us with grit and effort and heart we can play with anyone,” DeKalb coach Patrick Hamilton said. “It’s motivating to see the response in the second half, but the standard should be it never gets there. It was a very, very poor first half.”

The Barbs face Jacobs on Tuesday in the Class 3A Jacobs Regional semifinal. Hamilton said the Barbs can be successful with more effort, like the team showed in the second half.

He credited captains Ian Wickens-Walther and Henry Garcia-Alvarez for the second half spark.

“It’s nothing I said at halftime, it wasn’t a decision,” Hamilton said. “It was plain and simple, 11 guys said we’re going to play better. A lot of recognition goes to Ian for looking at the guys and saying it’s not good enough. And that’s what captains do, they lead.”

Kaneland also opens the postseason Tuesday against Freeport in a Class 2A Freeport Regional semifinal.

Last week, Kaneland lost 1-0 to Morris in a game that cost them a split of the Interstate 8 title with Sycamore. That loss came 24 hours after a 4-0 loss to West Aurora.

In two games this week, the Knights scored 12 goals, including an 8-1 win over La Salle-Peru on Monday.

“They could have folded,” Kaneland coach Scott Parillo said. “Thank God I wasn’t there to see the Morris game. Because if I had any hair I’m sure it would have been gone by the end of that game. But I’m happy with the way they bounced back. They could have folded and they didn’t.”

Guernon, who has 14 goals this season, said the Knights have a little momentum heading into the postseason.

“It’s huge. The momentum was definitely needed, especially coming off the last couple games,” Guernon said. “We’ve been rocky, you know. L-P was good, but before that we were on and off. The first half was nice, and that’s what we want to see.”