Nov. 01--NORMAL, Ill. -- Taking the next step has been Timothy Christian's battle cry since losing last year's Class 1A boys soccer final.
The Trojans got their chance at redemption Saturday and ran with it, posting a 4-1 championship triumph over Anna-Jonesboro-Cobden at the Corn Crib.
A three-goal barrage in less than two minutes midway through the second half broke open a 1-1 halftime deadlock and cemented Timothy's second 1A crown (2009) since the current three-class format started in 2008.
"This is an amazing turnaround and feels so unbelievable," said senior captain Ben Lodewyk, who assisted on three goals in the Trojans' 4-1 semifinal win against Urbana Uni High on Friday. "Last year was so devastating but this is the complete opposite. It's the best thing ever in my life."
Lodewyk's nifty header 13 minutes, 16 seconds into the match from the left side of the box got Timothy (19-4) off on the right foot. The lead didn't last long, though, as the Wildcats (20-6-1) answered on a Zach Parr tally 64 seconds later to knot the score at 1-1.
It stayed that way until the Trojan onslaught opened the floodgates.
Prior to that span, the second half was a back-and-forth affair, with each team taking runs at the opposing back line to no avail. That changed when sophomore Jimmy Allen buried a rebounded save by Wildcats sophomore goalie Jake Parr from point-blank range off a Josh Anderson shot.
Anderson, the Trojans' second-leading scorer with 19 goals, got into the scoring column 1 minute, 31 seconds later to build a two-score lead, and sophomore Michael Martens' insurance tally 25 seconds after that built an insurmountable 4-1 cushion.
The win capped a dominant postseason that saw the Trojans outscore their seven opponents 32-6.
"Josh did all the work on the first one; I was just there to clean it up," said Allen of his team-high 35th goal. "That's what got us going. After my goal, we had a big boost in momentum and it really got our confidence up."
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Player of the game: Jimmy Allen, Timothy Christian, winning goal.
Key performers: Timothy -- Ben Lodewyk, Josh Anderson, Michael Martens, 1 goal apiece. Anna-Jonesboro-Cobden -- Zach Parr, goal.
