O’Fallon girls soccer completes ‘#618sweep,’ honored for their first-ever state crown
The chants grew louder. “618! 618!618!”
The bleachers in Hoffman Estates were filled with downstaters celebrating a rare Southern Illinois sweep in high school soccer — Althoff had won 1A and Triad 2A earlier in the day, and then, O’Fallon, with the added pressure, won 3A the evening June 19 in the IHSA state finals.
Fans erupted — including Triad supporters who joined the crowd — and the salute to the metro-east began. The hashtag #618sweep trended.
Exuding joy and beaming with pride, the O’Fallon Township High School girls soccer team has been enjoying their historic run, celebrating the first-ever state soccer championship at O’Fallon Township High School.
With a 20-2 record, they beat undefeated Lyons Township 1-0 to bring home the hardware, with a goal scored by Kiley McMinn. They won the semifinals against another Chicago team — 2-1 over Libertyville the night before. Aubrey Mister scored both goals.
It has been a whirlwind since that weekend. That illustrious Saturday night, after the euphoria of winning, they slept on the bus for a couple of hours. But somewhere between Bloomington and Springfield, a few teammates organized karaoke to sing the rest of the way home. Texts went out.
“We wanted to enjoy the experience of all being together. We sang the whole hour,” said Avery Christopher, a junior.
Karaoke was their favorite thing to do on bus rides, she explained, and their song of the moment was Miranda Lambert’s “Only Prettier.”
The fun continued during an official parade and a gathering outside OTHS’s Smiley campus on a summer evening. Touting their “Southern Charm,” (a phrase on a wagon poster, but their rallying cry heading up north), and wearing cowboy hats, some of the players described the experience.
“It’s been cool,” said Calissa Strohbeen, a senior. She said the team wanted to embrace where they were from — hence, the “Southern Charm.”
Players said they felt the Chicago teams would consider them “hicks.”
“We just rolled with it,” Christopher said, who has been playing soccer since she was in kindergarten.
“It’s amazing. We never had this kind of support. We all were chanting ‘618.’ It was our first time at state, so we decided to have fun with it, win or lose,” she said.
“It’s been really insane. It was unreal — #618sweep, all three in our area,” said Savannah Hendrickson, a junior.
The girls soccer team hadn’t been at the state finals since 1995. They had lost to Naperville Central in the quarterfinals when soccer was a one-class program.
Abbey Burkholder, who was injured, said despite not getting to play that “it was fun to watch” the games.
Olivia Ori’s mom, Amy Ori, said as a parent, it was “very exciting” — to see a group that has been together for years accomplish the goals they set for themselves. And especially fulfilling after the loss of playing time due to the COVID-19 public health crisis. She said her daughter has been playing since age 3.
Principal, AD marvel at team
OTHS Principal Rich Bickel and Athletic Director Todd Moeller said a few words on how the team’s spirit connected the community.
Bickel said while watching the girls playoff run as a fan, he was not only impressed with their skills, but also the “poise and class” they demonstrated.
“That is the true mark of a state champion,” he said.
“This comes at a very unique time together in our society,” he said. “The girls created a lifetime of precious memories — joyous and fun.”
Bickel noted the leadership qualities of the coaches and the team.
“We’re extremely proud of you,” he said.
Not all the players could attend, but head coach Justin Judiscak introduced his team and talked about their impact on his life.
“Such a great group of players, parents and the community support,” he said. “The support for the girls, the school and from the community means a lot. It shows the character of the community. We were really happy to see the support.”
OTHS coach thankful for family support, lauds team’s chemistry
He thanked his family for their sacrifices — wife, Nicole, and children, Raelyn and Lawson. He even coached his daughter’s regional soccer game in the Chicago area that Saturday afternoon before the state final.
Judiscak mentioned the wisdom and guidance of his assistant coach, Craig Dippel, whom he convinced to return to coaching.
Judiscak said the team “was more than a collection of statistics.”
He spoke of their character, camaraderie, integrity and the love they showed for each other, as well as their humility. He talked about Burkholder’s self-sacrifice being helpful in support when she couldn’t play.
All in all, he described this winning feeling as “bittersweet.”
“I won’t get to be with these girls again. I’ll never be coaching these girls again. It hurts my heart to realize this. While we’re celebrating, it’s sad — we’ll never be together again,” he said.
He also gave a nod to how their victory inspired fans — “The next generation of soccer players, the young girls who braided their hair like the players did. You’ve touched more lives than you know. You’ve made a difference in the place that we live.”
Assistant coach key to success
Dippel has been a prep coach for a long time — at Althoff, Belleville East and O’Fallon. Originally from Granite City, he played high school soccer and on the college soccer team at Fontbonne.
After being an assistant with the OTHS boys soccer team at OTHS starting with Jason Turkington in 2001, Dippel started working with his former high school coach, Dave Ames, on the girls program in 2002 — freshman, JV and varsity assistant. Then, in 2009, he took over head coach duties.
Being part of this successful varsity program has been a thrill, he said, describing this team’s accomplishments as “amazing.”
Dippel said he was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it.
“Thank God,” he said.
Team members included Bronwyn Baer, Burkholder, Anna Chor, Christopher, Hendrickson, Mackenzie James, Katelyn Knaust, Rebecca Koenig, McMinn, Mister, Maicy Mueller, Josie Nieroda, Ori, Ella Peterson, Regan Schreckenberg, Strohbeen, Avery Taake and Grace Vincent.