Stagg takes sectional title

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:12PM

Stagg had not won a sectional championship since 2005. On Saturday night, that all changed as the Chargers defeated Eisenhower 3-0 to capture the Class 3A Marian Catholic Sectional championship. On the day before Halloween, the Chargers came dressed for the part.

"I decided to bust out the 2005 jerseys that were worn by our last sectional champions," Stagg coach Mike Kealy said. "With it being Halloween, I figured the orange and black would be fitting."

"They aren't the prettiest things, but they have a lot of meaning."

Stagg freshman Alberto Torres was in fourth grade when the Chargers (15-5-2) last won a sectional championship, having no idea that in his first time under the bright lights of a sectional championship, he would score two goals and add an assist to lead the Chargers to its next championship.

"I can't believe it; it's unexplainable," Torres said. "It's my first year and we won. I'm just a freshman."

On this night, Torres was more than a freshman as, after a back and forth battle for field position and that coveted first goal for both teams, he found the back of the net on a breakaway, sliding the ball from the left side into the right corner of the net with 7:22 left in the first half for a 1-0 lead.

"Zach Golob threw the ball from the sideline and I ran in and just shot it from the sideline," Torres said.

Torres would find the back of the net again after Zack Judickas beat two Eisenhower (19-7) defenders and centered the ball right in front of the net to an open Torres, who sent it home with 33:43 left in the game. Torres would return the favor with 13:28 remaining in the game, finding Judickas behind the defense for a 3-0 Charger clincher.

"I'm on cloud nine," Judickas said. "Stagg has never made it to state, so we are excited to have a chance to get there. Last year we lost to Eisenhower in the regional finals, so it was nice to get some redemption as well."

It took a triple-overtime win against No. 1 seed Sandburg in the regional championship and a quadruple-overtime win against No. 5 seed Marist in the sectional semis before defeating No. 2 seed Eisenhower for the sectional crown. The No. 8 seed Stagg has come a long way, but will try to become the first Charger team to win a super-sectional Tuesday against Edwardsville.

"From 3-5-2 to 15-5-2 and to be sectional champions is amazing," Kealy said, barely able to get words past his tears. "These guys have been through so much together. They deserve this."

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.