The Barragan family is making quite an impact on South Suburban Red soccer this season.
Giovanni, a senior forward, has been the area’s breakout star, leading Oak Lawn to a 15-0 record.
Fernando, a junior forward, and Omar, a junior midfielder, are starring at Reavis, which has compiled a slew of big wins and captured the title in the Bloom Tournament.
All three cousins say they owe much of their success to playing alongside each other growing up.
“We’ve basically played together every single day, all year round, since we were 5 years old,” Giovanni said. “Playing with them has made me a lot better as a player.”
The cousins have been club soccer teammates for the past decade, playing for San Antonio, a team based on the south side of Chicago.
“We play great together,” Fernando said. “We have good chemistry. I feel like they’ve always helped me since I’m the youngest and the smallest. They’d always teach me how to shoot, pass, take penalties. They’ve made me what I am today.”
Omar said soccer has always brought the family closer.
“Growing up, we’d go to each other’s houses and play soccer, kick the ball around,” he said. “It gave us something to do together. We’d always get together so we could play. It was fun hanging out with my cousins.”
Bragging rights are a big thing for the Barragans when Oak Lawn and Reavis match up. This year, they’ve belonged to Giovanni.
The Spartans topped Reavis on Aug. 27 in the Windy City Ram Classic quarterfinals and again Sept. 20 in a conference game.
“It’s a big rivalry,” Giovanni said. “It’s a big game for our family and all of us always want to win. It’s good to have bragging rights for now.”
With Giovanni set to graduate, Fernando and Omar hope for one more chance to face him in the playoffs. Both teams will compete in the Class 3A Lincoln-Way Central Sectional.
“It’s always fun playing against Gio,” Fernando said. “We always want to beat him, but it’s not easy. He’s a great player.”
Porter pride: Lockport started slow with a young team, but the Porters have put it together recently.
Lockport (7-4-3) is 6-1-1 over its last eight matches and advanced to the ATI bracket championship in the PepsiCo Showdown, where it fell Sunday to Fenwick.
“The team is playing well,” Lockport coach Chris Beal said. “I think that we have been defensively strong and we have been able to play with good pressure and intensity. We have been able, for the most part, to create chances. But one of our biggest weaknesses has been finishing. I think that we should be able to score more goals than we have.”
Beal has been impressed with junior goalkeeper Dominic Wistocki and senior defenders Thomas Inczauskis and Ainis Lapinskas.
Senior midfielder Tommy Calderaro has played well and was also recognized for his community service by the PepsiCo Showdown, which present him and honorees from other schools with a free laptop.
“I think its great for the students to realize that it’s important to help others in the community and that if everyone does a little then it can make a big difference,” Beal said.
Playoffs loom: Seeds for the Class 1A playoffs were announced Thursday and Beecher and Illinois Lutheran are seeded No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the sub-sectional B of the Manteno Sectional.
Beecher topped the Chargers 2-0 on Sept. 1.
Illiana Christian and Chicago Christian were seeded No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, with Peotone at No. 3.
Steve Millar is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.
Top 10
Records through Monday, with last week’s ranking in parentheses.
1. Oak Lawn 15-0 (1)
2. Mount Carmel 10-2 (4)
3. Argo 8-2-1 (2)
4. Thornton co-op 5-2-3 (6)
5. Bloom 12-3-1 (7)
6. Stagg 3-3-7 (3)
7. Andrew 6-3-4 (8)
8. Bremen 9-4-1 (9)
9. St. Laurence 9-4-1 (5)
10. Reavis 7-5-2 (10)
Player of the Week: Oak Lawn senior forward Mohammad Farraj scored five goals and dished two assists in a 7-0 win over Eisenhower.
