Corsi, Crawfords honored
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| Brother and sister combo Ryan Crawford, left, and Meghan Crawford were inducted into the Gibault Hall of Fame recently. Hawks coach Jim Corsi, center, was named the 2007 IHSA Girls Soccer Coach of the Year. |
The Reds repaid the eldest of the clan, inducting Meghan and Ryan Crawford in the school's Hall of Fame recently.
Ryan Crawford graduated in 2002 after a distinguished career that put a permanent stamp on the Hawks."Ryan had a major impact on our boys program," Gibault coach Jim Corsi said. "He helped us realize we could play the top notch schools and be competitive. He was as tough a player as we have ever had. He never stopped running and hustling. He was creative and could see the field as well as anyone else.
"I have seen him make some unbelievable plays, passes that should not have gone through but did, shots that were made that no one else could make, hustle beyond belief. Ryan started for four years at Missouri State and was one of their leading players."
Little sis Meghan graduated the next season after a similarly tectonic effect on the distaff side.
"Meghan is one of the best girls soccer players we have had," Corsi said. "She didn't have flashy statistics, but she was central to all we did in her years here. She was our ball winner in the midfield. She was our link from back to front. She was the one who ran down the quick forwards from other teams. She was the one who would hustle all the way back to fill a gap or seam.
"Meghan had the rare ability to see two plays ahead and be in the places we needed someone. She ended up in a good NCAA Division I program (University of Louisiana at LaFayette) and received a scholarship due to the way she practiced and played."
Youngest sib Tyler Crawford graduated in 2007 after leading the Hawks to the first two of the school's three straight state championships. The slick trickster, a University of Wisconsin recruit, is sure to join his brother and sister in the Hall of Fame when his eligibility arises.
"Tyler combines the best of his brother and sister," Corsi said. "He was the most creative player we have had at Gibault. He was in wonderful shape and thus he had the highest work rate of any Gibault player. I loved the fact that there was little difference between his practice play and his game play.
"When we needed a goal, Tyler got it for us-somehow, some way. He was redshirted his
freshman year at Wisconsin, but they and we are looking forward to next year when he should be a force with the Badgers."
This week the gaffer himself joined his prodigies on the podium. Corsi was named the Girls Coach of the Year after leading the Red lasses to the state championship game in the spring.
The title berth was sweet solace after the Hawks dropped the previous season's sectional finale in Columbia to the host Eagles, who went on to fall in the state final.
"I'm thrilled, I'm really thrilled," Corsi said. "The girls worked so hard. It was so tough with our schedule because every game was very hard. I'm just thrilled to be recognized for what the kids did.
"I get a big kick out of being with them. You get to know the kids from class, but any coach will tell you that you get very close having them on the team. I enjoy that a lot."
The girls are still searching to match the boys and snatch their first piece of state hardware. Though graduation stole a chunk of the skill and depth that fueled their run to Naperville, the Hawks, like their friendly nemeses in Columbia, are well equipped to steal a march on the competition and return to North Central College for another try.
"We lost a lot, but we have an experienced core that went to state," Corsi said. "Just like Columbia, they understand the joy and the agony of getting to that stage and they are talking to the new kids, preparing them for what lies ahead."
