Passing the baton: Seniors teach, mold underclassmen in order to sustain QND soccer legacy

QUINCY — The nerves and excitement have been tempered some by contributing to the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team’s postseason run, but freshman defender Channing Trevino won’t soon forget the day he got his first start.

“It was pretty exciting when against Normal U-High they said I was going to be starting,” Trevino said. “And I played better than I thought I would.”

He’s played at a championship-caliber level, which he needed to in order to be a part of this magical run.

Trevino is one of two freshmen starting for the Raiders — forward Cole Henkenmeier is the other — and part of the group tasked with carrying on the program’s legacy.

It’s the same challenge the Class of 2023 faced.

Three years ago, when QND finished third at the Class 1A state tournament, there were seven freshmen on the roster. Three are now captains of a team returning to the final four and five are expected to start when the Raiders (17-6-2) face Elmhurst Timothy Christian (16-9) in the Class 1A state semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria.

“I have plenty of flashbacks,” QND senior defender Jake Hoyt said. “It definitely comes back to me. The memories I have from my freshman year and being able to come back to that is a surreal feeling.”

But the Raiders are back where they feel they rightfully belong and the seniors believe they have guided the bevy of underclassmen with the right message.

“Just to keep working,” Hoyt said. “There’s nothing that is given on this team. You can always step up and take the position of anyone older. You just have to keep working at it.”

Relentlessly, the Raiders have kept working.

They have outscored five postseason opponents 34-4 and have benefitted from a tough end-of-the-season schedule that saw them go 2-2-1 in their final five games.

“I thought it was pretty possible we could get to the state tournament,” sophomore wing back Rylan Fischer said. “Going into this weekend, reality hits you pretty hard. We’re there. I’m looking forward to playing the last games with the seniors.”

That’s a tribute to the impact the Class of 2023 has made as leaders.

“I’ve learned how to respect other players, coaches and refs from them,” Fischer said.

“Those seniors are really good at teaching everyone and bringing them along and showing them the way,” Henkenmeier said. “They’ve helped me learn to control my game and slow it down. I came in balls to the wall. They taught me to slow it down and everything will work out fine.”

Those lessons come from experience.

Tanner Anderson, the senior forward who is QND’s leading scorer with 27 goals and 12 assists, was the second-leading scorer on the 2019 team and will graduate as the all-time leading scorer in QND history. Hoyt has played in every varsity game for four years and willingly changed positions this season for the betterment of the team.

Senior midfielder John Drew and senior center back Colin Kurk each have four years of experience and are prime examples of how dedication, hard work and trust lead to blossoming into captains and leaders.

Every single underclassmen now has a blueprint for what to do.

“They make sure we keep our emotion up and stay motivated,” Henkenmeier said. “They’ve been great leaders.”

The lessons will continue until the season ends Saturday.

“I’ve learned the amount of leadership it takes to work the backside and how much respect the other team has to have for the backs,” Trevino said. “They’ve taught us so much.”

Absorbing everything thrown their way has enabled the underclassmen to perform and contribute to what has been a memorable season. 

“They’ve come along in an extreme amount of ways,” Hoyt said. “Even since they started coming and playing with us in the summer, they’ve grown so much. They’ve helped this team become what it is now.”