Ryan Gervase’s family is synonymous with Naperville Central sports.
You may even say it’s a brand name.
“My whole family has grown up in the Naperville area and gone to Central,” Gervase said. “So there’s a lot of roots here.”
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Gervase, a senior defender and three-year varsity player for the boys soccer team, is part of a tradition that includes his parents, Matt and Margo, who met as juniors at Naperville Central in the early 1990s.
Gervase’s father played two years of soccer and four years of water polo and swimming for the Redhawks before swimming at Truman State. Gervase’s mother played four years of varsity soccer and continued her career at Washington University.
There are more.
“My mom’s two sisters went to Central, and my dad’s brother and sister went to Central,” Gervase noted. “My brother played baseball, an older cousin went to Central and two more cousins are now at Central with me.”
Gervase’s brother Jacob is a sophomore infielder at Wisconsin-Platteville. One cousin, Catelyn, is a senior libero on the girls volleyball team, and another, Samantha, is a junior who plays golf and basketball.
“It’s great because the whole family is together,” Gervase said. “We’ve all got sports knowledge, so we’ve played a lot of sports together, and it’s helped me through this process of working hard and finding colleges to play at.”
Gervase, who said he has a 4.23 GPA, is aiming to play at a Division III college and become an engineer like his mother and grandfather. He also plays right field and pitches for the baseball team, which is where he got the skill that helped him lead the Redhawks to a 5-1 DuPage Valley Conference victory over host Neuqua Valley in Naperville on Tuesday.
Gervase uncorked a long throw-in that senior midfielder Eli Jarrell back-headed into the net with 16:39 left in the first half. That goal gave the Redhawks (5-1, 1-0) a 2-0 lead and turned out to be the game-winner against Neuqua Valley (2-4-1, 0-2).
“Throw-ins are a big part of our set pieces that we work on in practice,” Gervase said. “So every time when we get a ball close to goal where I can throw it in is a great opportunity for someone to flick it on or get a head on it like Eli did.”
It was the first time this season Jarrell has scored off a Gervase throw, but they’ve done it several times previously.
“Me and Ryan always have that connection,” Jarrell said. “He looks for my head, and I always try to go back post, and maybe it will go in or someone will get on it. That time it went in.”
Gervase has two goals and an assist this season. But scoring isn’t the biggest way he makes an impact for the Redhawks.
“I’d say his aggression, his speed,” Jarrell said. “He’s really strong and physical, likes to push people off the ball.”
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That’s exactly what is expected of a defender. Gervase is versatile enough to play anywhere on the back line or even defensive midfield in a pinch.
“Ryan brings that hard-work, hard-nosed, hard-edged mentality to the team that we really need,” Naperville Central coach Troy Adams said. “He’s willing to get after it, and he won’t stop.
“That’s the great thing about Ryan is he just keeps working and working and working. It’s really been nice to see him develop as a player over the last three years.”
Gervase first began developing his throw-in when he was a sophomore, and he succeeded Patrick Bohan as Naperville Central’s primary thrower last season.
“Ryan’s got a nice throw,” said Adams, who attended Naperville Central with Gervase’s uncle Dave. “It helps if you’re a baseball player. It helps when you have that kind of arm strength to be able to get it there.”
Jarrell said Gervase is getting the ball where it needs to be regularly.
“It’s really nice,” Jarrell said. “It’s almost like another corner kick when we get it that far down the field.
“Last year he was really good too. But I think he’s stepped up as a leader, and you know he’s going to be consistent every game.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.