James Sensibaugh molded Chesterton into a team that advanced all the way to the Class 2A state championship game.
He and the coaching staff knew the Trojans had talent, with a core that included seniors Owen Hallas, Derek O’Dell and Tyler Schroeder. But they graduated six starters from last year.
And there was uncertainty at the beginning of this season.
O’Dell described the Trojans as “a bunch of rabble-rousers who didn’t know where we fit in.”
Hallas called them “an average team that didn’t have much chemistry.”
But by the end of the season, Sensibaugh — the Post-Tribune 2016 Boys Soccer Coach of the Year — put together the pieces of the puzzle.
“Coach Sensibaugh is a great coach and a great father figure,” Hallas said. “He preaches to us not only to be good soccer players, but to be good young men in everyday life.
“He always tells us that our next game is the most important game of the year, and we play in a tough conference so we have to play well every week. He kept us motivated, and he helped us bond. He’s great at talking to people. He kept us going and made sure we were never satisfied.”
“We came so far as a team,” O’Dell said. “He found everybody’s place, and it worked out.”
In his 13th season, Sensibaugh built around the experienced players and incorporated younger ones. The Trojans tinkered and tweaked their lineup in scrimmages and practices, using trial and error before hitting on the right combination.
“We lost quite a few players from the year before, an accomplished senior class,” Sensibaugh said. “But I saw the ability in this group in that they worked really hard, they stayed disciplined, they kept their shape really well. And we had Owen and Derek to create. So the balance of the team was there and their self-belief was there.”
The Trojans finished second in the Duneland Athletic Conference to Lake Central, the team that had been favored as a contender for the state title. But Munster upset the Indians in a regional semifinal before Chesterton defeated the Mustangs in the final.
Sensibaugh empathized with Lake Central, having been on both sides of expectations. In 2014, the Trojans were undefeated, ranked No. 1 in the state and cracked national polls before losing in a semistate semifinal.
“I thought we’d give Lake Central a run for their money,” Sensibaugh said. “It didn’t work out for them. A couple of years ago it didn’t work out for us. That’s athletics.”
The Trojans won a semistate title, adding to their first from 2007 by beating West Noble and West Lafayette Harrison, which was undefeated and ranked No. 1. Their 2-1 win in the final against Harrison avenged a 2-1 loss from the regular season.
The Trojans’ 2-1 loss in the state championship game to Evansville Memorial ended their season with a 16-4-2 record.
“At the beginning of the year, if you would’ve told me we’d be playing for the state title, I’d take that,” Sensibaugh said. “You obviously want to win. But second place? Sign me up.
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“This is sincere — our success is a reflection of the hard work and commitment of the players and the coaches and of a supportive soccer community at Chesterton.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff