Soccer Champions To Be Inducted Into Sandburg Athletic Hall of Fame

The 2002-03 Carl Sandburg High School (CSHS) Mens Soccer team is being inducted in the CSHS Athletic Hall of Fame for its outstanding achievements and contributions made to the high school’s athletic program, including winning the state championship in 2002. The induction ceremony will be held on Friday, Nov. 15.

The 2002 team earned an impressive record of 23-1-2 under the guidance of head coach Jack Ferraro, and assistant coaches Jim Pisani, Pete Knutson, Mike Erdman, and Dan Olsen. The CSHS Mens Soccer team also won state championships in 1993 and 2001.

“I am very proud of our team,” said Ferraro, who was the head coach from 1994 to 2011. “In the 2002 season, it was difficult for our team to repeat a state championship, but these young men had the ability to preserver under abnormal conditions (stresses, pressure),” he said. “When the stresses or pressure of competition in a game occur, a team needs to be of one mind and united. To be able to rise to the occasion, and overcome the abnormal conditions is a psychological component of sport we possessed. Not all the teams I have coached were able to excel in overcoming these conditions as well as the 2002 team.”

Ferraro said that come game time this group was always united as a team. “We, the coaching staff, trainers and players, were there for each other and played for each other,” he said. “Our players had their teammates’ back no matter what the score was in a game. The grit these players possessed was remarkable.”

His pride extended beyond the field. “I am proud of how the 2002 team acted on the field and also off the field, in the classroom and in their community,” he said. “There were student athletes that represented Carl Sandburg High School well.”

He noted that some of the players on the 2002 championship team roster also were on the 2001 championship team roster. “In 2022, I saw these players when the 2001 team was inducted in the Athletic Hall of Fame. I was able to see them with their significant others, spouses, and children. Our players and student trainers have experienced successful careers. As individuals, their efforts in their field of work have resulted in their financial and professional success,” Ferraro said.

“They are good citizens and raising families as well. Being a good parent and providing for a family is a successful accomplishment. It sounds like a cliché, but our CSHS players, trainer Bill Frye and student trainers Linda Sullivan and Eileen Niedoborski, are making their communities and world a better place. I believe they have applied some of the lessons they learned as CSHS student athletes to their professions and family life.”

Ferraro had the utmost praise for his coaching staff and team captains. “My coaching staff, especially Coach Jim Pisani, were excellent in making our soccer program the best in Illinois,” he said. “I am honored to have coached with these men. My captains, Jed Zayner, Cole Glassner and John Partyka were outstanding captains on the field that motivated their teammates to become champions.,” he said.

The Eagles roster for 2002 included:

· Goalkeepers: Jesse Furmanek, Cole Glassner, Mike Nejedly, and Jay Swiderski,

· Defenders: Nick Anello, Scott Kupiec, Brad Nagel, John Partyka, Dan Peterson, and Jed Zayner

· Forwards: Al Duncan, Tim Engel, Brett Falloon, Andrea Frigo, Nick Kwiatek, Kevin Kuhn, Matt Mergenthaler, Matt Nagel, and Greg Olmsted

· Midfielders: Colin Aubin, Paul Boyle, Zac Buikema, Dom Didiana, Paul Kopec,Tim Kopec, Angelo Labriola, Steve Mulac, Brian Pasierb, and Mike Piazza

“During the 2002 season, each player on this team contributed in some way to us winning the IHSA state championship and I am honored to have been their coach,” Ferraro said.