Geneva senior Ethan Hipp has little in common with the me-first generation.
“I think of myself as a team player and not as an individual player,” he said. “I do not necessarily play for my own wants. I just try to make the team better.”
A two-year starter, Hipp is a quick and relentless player whose versatility allows Vikings coach Jason Bhatta to play him either as an attacking midfielder or as a forward. His attitude has already energized the team.
“My position does not really matter as long as I am helping us win,” Hipp said. “In the middle, I think I am more involved in the action. When I play on the outside, I am more of a threat to score.”
With impressive victories over Marmion and Kaneland, the Vikings (2-0-1) are halfway to matching their win total from a year ago, when they finished 4-12-3.
Bhatta characterized the early play of Hipp as a “revelation.”
“Coming in after a year of varsity experience under his belt, Ethan has taken the lead role in our attack,” Bhatta said. “He has been instrumental in our ability to unlock other defenses.
“He has a motor that does not stop, and he can press and make life very uncomfortable for defenses.”
Hipp plays on the basketball team. He’s also a sprinter in track. His speed and quickness are his strongest physical attributes.
“My style is to play aggressive,” Hipp said. “I have good speed, so any chance I get to use my speed, I want to be able to take advantage of that.”
Hipp, the oldest of three brothers, began playing soccer in local recreational and youth leagues. The openness of the game and the chance to run free and unobstructed appealed to him.
“I just fell in love with the sport largely because I fit the soccer player mold,” he said. “I started getting better and better, and I just loved the ability to develop my net skills.”
Now, the Vikings look to sustain their hot start this week in the Best of the West Tournament.
“We have all the skills that we need,” Hipp said. “We just have to eliminate the small mistakes, keep our heads on straight and work together as a team.”
Early rivalry: The move of West Aurora to the Southwest Prairie Conference meant an unusual early season showdown with rival East Aurora.
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Senior forward Hector Rosales scored two goals Saturday as the host Blackhawks defeated East Aurora 3-0. Senior midfielder Monoj Chuwan also scored for the Blackhawks (2-0).
The graduation of top scorers Patient Yuha and Andy Emile has opened the path for new playmakers to emerge for West Aurora.
“We do not have the marquee players of last year,” West Aurora coach Joe Sustersic said. “But we have many solid players who are not known yet will be remembered by opponents after the match.”
Senior goalkeeper Alejandro Barrios had four saves in posting the shutout.
More firepower: Indian Creek was already a high-scoring, small-school wonder with explosive junior forward Drew Gaston and junior midfielder Cameron Russell.
Gaston scored 40 goals with 22 assists last season, while Russell added 24 goals and 19 assists.
Coach Eric Schrader added another potent scoring weapon with junior forward Brennen McNally, a former Paw Paw student who played last year with the Earlville-Leland co-op. Paw Paw closed, with those students now going to Indian Creek.
McNally has a goal and assist through two games for Indian Creek (2-0). Gaston has five goals and two assists.
“Adding him into our lineup is going to make our offense very difficult to defend,” Schrader said of McNally. “We are going to build on the 14 wins we had last year and try to go even further.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.