The huge turnaround by the Fenwick High School boys soccer team this season climaxed with its first sectional title since 2012. The Friars nearly reached the Class 2A state semifinals Monday but lost to De La Salle 2-0 in the Lyons Township Super-Sectional.
Under first-year coach Shannon Seymour, the Friars finished 14-6-1 behind 12 seniors after going 2-13-3 in 2024. As a No. 3 seed, Fenwick beat No. 4 St. Patrick 2-1 Friday to win the De La Salle B Sectional.
“We’d run through a brick wall for this man,” Fenwick senior goalie Dominik Ballarin said about Seymour after the team’s emotional post-game talk.
“I think just everything [was special this season], from the guys to the coaching staff. When Shannon came, we were all very uncertain about how it was going to go. He said our goal is to make a long run in the playoffs and be plus-.500. That’s a very ballsy statement to be making (after 2024), except he held it up. We bought into his plan completely. And we were willing to make that sacrifice every single time we went to training. We followed his vision and that’s why we were successful.”
Team captains were seniors Nathaniel Sabatino, Ballarin and Truman Sabatino, who was added during the postseason. Top scorers were Nathanial Sabatino (15 goals, 3 assists), junior Luke Menacho (9 goals, 2 assists), who had both goals Saturday, and seniors Gabe Wasson-Farran (6 goals, 3 assists) and Matt Simon (5 goals, assist).
“I couldn’t ask for a better group. [My coaching staff and players] showed me what the standard of this school was and I just found a way to match my standard with theirs,” Seymour said.
“We created a good culture. We’ve now become a name to fear when we step onto this field.”
Fenwick’s goal keeper Dominik Ballarin (1) sevures the ball against De La Salle during the Class 2A Lyons Supersectional Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Wednesday Journal) 
Fenwick’s August Bartley (13) heads the ball up field against De La Salle during the Class 2A Lyons Supersectional Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Wednesday Journal) 
Fenwick’s Nathaniel Sabatino (9) controls the ball against De La Salle during the Class 2A Lyons Supersectional Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Wednesday Journal) 
Fenwick’s Gabe Wasson-Farran (7) is taken down by De La Salle’s Fidel Orozco (7) during the Class 2A Lyons Supersectional Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Wednesday Journal)
De La Salle (23-3-1) led 11-4 in shots on goal and 9-1 in corner kicks but Fenwick continued pressuring until the Meteors scored again with 3:25 left. The first goal came just 20 seconds before halftime on a header from the 8-yard line off a 52-yard free kick.
Sectional heartbreak for OPRF
When Joaquin Carlstrom-Arteaga scored for Oak Park and River Forest in the first half of the Class 3A Taft Sectional final against Lane Tech, Oct. 31, the program’s first sectional title in four years seemed to be imminent given how stout the Huskies have been defensively.
“I felt we had a pretty strong presence on the field with good possession and defensive pressure in the first half,” said OPRF interim coach Dave Bernthal.
However, the Champions stunned OPRF (19-3-2) with two goals in the final 20 minutes of the match to prevail 2-1.
“I felt we played a really strong game,” Bernthal said. “Credit to Lane Tech; they kept us from getting in front of their goal. For as much as we possessed the ball, we didn’t get a lot of clean looks; [Lane] played good defense and capitalized on their chances.”
While Bernthal thought the Huskies had a very good season, he also believed they had a good chance of playing during the final week of the season [supersectional and state finals].
“I felt we had the team to be able to do that,” Bernthal said. “But at the end of the day, I’m really proud of the guys and what they accomplished. They won the West Suburban Silver outright, which we’re most proud of. They gave me and [assistant] coach [Jon] Cummings everything they had; they were enjoyable to coach and I’m really going to miss this group.
“For me as an interim coach,” he added, “I felt I was given a gift in these guys. With the quality and style of play, I thought they played a good brand of soccer; we played with our heart and soul out there. They were enjoyable to be with and they played for each other.”
