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Brian Allen knew Crystal Lake South would be tested this season, how the Gators responded would determine their level of success.
They started the season 2-1-1 and lost a pivotal match to Huntley during conference play, but the Gators regrouped in order to make history. South won its last 12 matches, captured a share of the Fox Valley Conference and won its second state championship in program history.
The Gators had the talent to win a state championship, but Allen prepared them to handle different challenges with his system that has produced two state championships and a runner-up trophy since 2018.
For the Gators’ success, Allen is the Northwest Herald Boys Soccer Coach of the Year for a second straight season, selected by the sports staff with input from area coaches. Allen has now won the award three times. Johnsburg’s Adam Bronars and Harvard’s Victor Gonzalez were also considered.
Allen answered a few questions from Northwest Herald sports reporter Michal Dwojak about the season, his career goals and which player made him laugh the most.
Was there a moment during the season when you thought you guys could win a championship?
Allen: It’s hard to pinpoint any one moment in particular, but it was an exciting season. When you climb the mountain top, it’s special, memorable, historic, you can fill in whatever synonym, superlative you want for that. The journey was the special part because we had such a modest start to the season, but once we got through those first three weeks, which is always a feeling-out process for our program and our team in testing ourselves in those games, we got the opening win against Dundee-Crown and started to reel off some wins in conference. I think the belief started and it was always the bounce back. Huntley, the setback, the way the guys had the resolve they had in their performance afterwards, that’s when the belief started to carry over that they could do something special in the playoffs against the teams that lined up for us.
What are you most proud of what this team was able to accomplish?
Allen: Their continued growth. It’s something that coaches preach, but to see it come to fruition where I think this group genuinely week-to-week, we were a better soccer team. From the start, in the first week of the season even in the preseason, each week the guys had some struggles, they learned from those struggles, they improved when they were challenged early in certain weeks, in setbacks they didn’t that deter them. Then in conference, the Huntley match that could change the trajectory of the season the opposite way, instead we found the full benefit of that and used that as a catalyst to know that we can grow, learn and be better. They were just genuinely in the playoffs, I thought, we got stronger each round and we truly played arguably our three best games of the year in the supersectional, semifinal and we did play our best game in the state championship. That’s all you can ask for as a coach. It’s so rewarding to see that growth journey end with them being at their best in the biggest game of the year.
Which one of your players did you find the most inspiring this year?
Allen: Diego Paguada and Nico Velasco. Diego was inspiring because he was the new kid in the block in the backline that had a lot of good returning players with him. He was the new guy and he probably got coached the most by me but he never wavered. He took all my coaching points, some days I was definitely harder on him, probably than the other players, and stayed matter of fact and kept doing his job, performed in the playoffs the best he had all season when we needed him to. That was truly inspirational to see. Nico, again same thing, super role player, a lot of athleticism, started the year really hot, cooled off in conference a little bit but then in the playoffs, especially in that state finals weekend, he was as good as any of our players when we needed them to be, so that journey for him to maximize his potential was really inspiring too.
What did Nolan Getzinger mean to the program, especially the last couple of years?
Allen: I don’t know if you can quantify it, I don’t think it’s measurable, I think it goes beyond soccer for him. He’s a high-character kid, he’s one of those players that makes his teammates around him better. You just have to look at the school record with assists. Last year he was our primary goal scorer and this year I don’t want to say he changed or transformed his game entirely but he took on a different role in the midfield. That takes a special type of kid not just from a soccer standpoint but a mental and character standpoint to be willing to alter how he’s playing that game. It’s that side of him, his maturity, his leadership, his genuineness in wanting the best for the program and his teammates.
Was this the goal when you started at South, getting two state championships and another runner-up trophy?
Allen: I think every coach has aspirations that they want to get the best out of their players and their program. I think that looks different for every program. I’ve been very blessed recently to get kids and players that are extremely talented and bought into our system at South, that understand the character side of it, the work-weight side of it. That if you do those things, success will hopefully follow. It’s nice to have that success kind of support the culture that we tried to create in terms of the habits and the daily discipline and the things that will provide them traits in life beyond soccer that can be of benefit to them. I think that was always of a bigger goal for me: To give them a culture where they can use soccer as a tool for life lessons. But when you have the success that positively reinforces that obviously, that helps the buy-in and has established us as a good soccer powerhouse in the Fox Valley, which is something the players can be proud of and hang their hat on.
What do you love the most about soccer?
Allen: It’s the beautiful game but for me it’s the beautiful game of imperfection, because soccer, you can’t play a perfect game and life is never going to be perfect. So it’s the reward of seeing players and teams overcome challenges and setbacks and work through difficult moments. As a coach to see that growth, to see that strength from a player collectively when you put that together with whole team and find the best in each other, for me that’s the inspiring piece of that. You don’t get the timeouts like in other sports, the guys have to figure it out, you hope you give them enough work that they’re able to succeed, but ultimately to see them problem solve on their own and go through the ups and downs of 80-minute game in our case, that mirrors a lot of stuff that life can throw at you. To find the benefits and successes through those good and bad moments is a rewarding thing.
What was your dream job growing up?
Allen: When I went to college I wanted to teach and coach, so I’ve been living my dream job since right out of college. I’ve been very fortunate and blessed in that way. At this point in my career, I can’t see that changing.
Is there a player on this year’s team that made you laugh the most?
Allen: Chris Slawek this year for a variety of reasons, some soccer related, some not because obviously I’m hard on my goalkeepers whether that be some things in training that guys will just look at me because they knew I would be like what is going on there, but I don’t know if we had a goofball this year like we have in other year’s past.
What will you remember the most about this year’s team?
Allen: It’s really going to be the journey that when you look at least for our team in particular, where they came from and where we were in the summer as a team and I look at that state championship and the team that played in the performance, and the bench. How much they grew and changed as players and as people and really came together. You have teams that are talented, and this team is a very talented team for sure, their transformation from summer to preseason to the first stage of our conference slate to our conference slate then the postseason, it’s very rare that you have a team that’s as consistent and this team was and continued to get better. That’s etched in my mind of just how much they improved from day one to that last day. Other teams you know are good and it’s just a matter of squeezing that, but how much this team improved and transformed and maxed out their ability, that’s the piece that I’ll hang on to from this year’s group.