When Grayslake Central senior defender Cory Hayson was a kid, his favorite soccer player was Manchester United star Wayne Rooney.
Hayson recalls watching Rooney, who retired in 2021, play in televised Premier League games.
“Wayne Rooney was my guy,” Hayson said. “He would make things happen on offense. The team would break down in the middle, and he would get back on defense right away.
“He was running the full length of the field at all times. I really, really looked up to him.”
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Hayson regularly woke up at the crack of dawn on Sunday mornings to catch the games with his father, Randy.
“Those games start early, and I was up,” he said. “I loved waking up early.”
As a high school student, Hayson sleeps in more. But he has become an energizer, like Rooney, for the defending Northern Lake County Conference champion Rams (2-2).
“He’ll go into a tackle at 100 miles per hour,” Grayslake Central boys soccer coach Keith Andersson said. “You can’t teach grit. You either have it or you don’t, and he has it.”
Speed has always been part of Hayson’s game. But he knew he was lacking strength last season, which ended when the top-seeded Rams lost to 16th-seeded Cary-Grove in a Class 2A regional semifinal.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” Hayson said. “I was very weak last year. I was getting tossed around. I wasn’t disciplined enough, and I don’t believe I wanted it enough. I saw it as a liability.”
Those shortcomings were apparent to Grayslake Central’s coaching staff too.
“I remember he would get knocked over really easily,” Andersson said. “He’d go flying. Cory was just a little skinny guy that was very fast.”
Hayson said he “hates nothing more than losing,” and as he saw it, his lack of strength was a factor in that early playoff exit.
“I found out what I needed to do,” he said. “I was determined.”
Hayson dedicated himself to reshaping his body to make sure he’d be stronger for a playoff run this season. He spent six days a week in the gym, working out alongside his friend Cole Halverson, a Grayslake Central basketball player.
“We always keep each other accountable for hitting the lift and never taking too long to rest or give up,” Halverson said. “We like to see progress, and that starts with working hard.”
That diligence paid off. Hayson added 17 pounds of muscle, growing from 130 to 147. Andersson saw the difference during summer pickup games.
“I could just see it,” Andersson said. “Kids were bouncing off of him. His lower-body strength is so much better than it was in his first three years. On the field, you can tell because guys have a hard time knocking him off the ball, and he just looked so physically fit that I was like, ‘Holy cow, can you still run?’”
It took only a few more minutes for Andersson to figure out the answer.
“He’s still so fast,” Andersson said. “He’s even faster now. His feet are faster than his mind can think. Sometimes, he forgets that he actually has to dribble it because he can run so much faster than the ball.”
Hayson isn’t getting ahead of himself, though. He knows he’s not the only key to the Rams’ success. To compete for a championship, they have to work together.
“Collaboration and cooperation are the most important skills,” he said. “No matter where you end up in the world, no matter what profession you decide you want to pursue, people need people. I think it’s the most important value.”
The Rams need Hayson this season.
“He’s just a character,” Andersson said. “He’s nonstop, and his drive is what inspires a lot of his teammates.”
Halverson agrees.
“Cory’s personality is a win-first mentality,” Halverson said. “He always pushes himself at things, even when they aren’t easy. He’s always there for you, and he shows up when it matters.”
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Sam Brief is a freelance reporter.