Mirror, mirror

Bret Hruby wanted to score badly for Neuqua Valley.

With 10 minutes remaining in regulation and Champaign Centennial playing nationally-ranked Neuqua to a 2-2 game Saturday, Hruby began to get nervous.

He already had scored two goals but desperately desired a third. More importantly, he wanted to win the state quarterfinal no matter who managed the deciding tally.

"I started panicking a little bit, yelling at our guys to pick it up," Hruby said. "We're a pretty calm team. And we know if we're down, we can come back."

That's just it. Hruby's emotional display was uncharacteristic of the 2007 Wildcats but very much like their predecessors from 2003.

Even so, Hruby's motivational burst worked. At the most basic level, it aided his own performance.

With 8:37 left, senior defender Tanner Fink assisted Hruby's third goal of the game, his 25th of the season and his first game-winner at state.

"We want to win every game," Hruby said. "There's so much fire in our team that even if we're down a goal, we want to come back - there's no letdown.

"We're always fighting."

And that's where the comparisons begin between the 2003 Neuqua team that won the Class AA state title and the current Wildcats team.

Together, they've battled to become the only two teams from Naperville to reach the boys state tournament in the last five years.

Hruby's vocal leadership would have been perfect for the 2003 team - which featured captains Chris Clark, Nick Coulson, Drew Degurian, Andrew Monteith, Scott Shugh and Sulav Singh - than it did this year's club.

"That was a very tough team," Neuqua coach Jim Johns said. "How can I say it? They had, like, Michael Jordans on the team, always yelling at each other. This team, they don't yell at each other. They just like to play.

"They play games, they play video games, they like to play. So this is a very different team."

The current Wildcats' personnel and playing style differ from the 2003 team, which finished 28-1-1 overall and 10th in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

For starters that year, the Wildcats had what Naperville North coach Jim Konrad described as an untouchable team - one that casts a shadow over this year's group.

"This team has many good high school players and some excellent athletes," Konrad said. "The 2003 team had national-level players."

Even though both clubs began the state tournament with only one loss, the current Wildcats know they may always play second fiddle to their "elders" - perhaps simply because they were the second team in the program's history to reach state.

Neuqua senior midfielder Paul Box, a three-year starter on this year's team, has heard the differences from his coach.

"Johns said their team was a strong team - they didn't let a lot of things happen whereas we're more of a possession team that moves the ball around well," Box said. "He always said they were going for the throat most of the time. They had more horses."

After losing 4-1 to Neuqua in the sectional semifinals this year, Benet coach Henry Wind recalled a game between Neuqua and North in which the Wildcats exhibited this year's trademark style.

Wind remembers North controlling that Best of the West Tournament game but coming out a 2-0 loser.

"When they get an opportunity to get the ball to the forwards, they strike it immediately," Wind said. "And then they wait, and they wait and they wait. And that's what this game is all about. It's not about how many touches you make or possession, it's about how many goals you score."

Waubonsie Valley coach Angelo DiBernardo agrees with Konrad: The 2003 team is better than its successor.

DiBernardo, who faced the Wildcats three times that year, said the 2003 club had a better defense along with more speed and quickness.

He also added that both teams had comparable depth and key offensive players.

See, there's just not a whole lot separating the two teams, especially from a numbers standpoint.

This year's Wildcats entered Saturday's championship game 24-1-4 and ranked fifth nationally by the NSCAA - a slightly worse record, a slightly better ranking.

"They're a nice team. When you give them chances to score, they put 'em away," said Central coach Jay Konrad, who ended his season against Neuqua in the sectional final last month. "That's why they're ranked so highly in all publications."

Contact Brad Engel at bengel@scn1.com or 630-416-5289.