Senior defender Alex Froylan has become accustomed to the responsibility of leading the Reavis defense.

He has been an anchor of the back line since his sophomore season, when he was inserted into the lineup as a central defender.

“All the experience has helped out a lot,” he said. “I came in as a sophomore, and I kind of struggled a little bit at first. I got used to it and got more comfortable playing at the varsity level. I’ve just gotten more used to it over the years, and now I definitely feel like I’m always ready.”

Froylan was Reavis’ only returning starter on defense, so coach Mark Gniadek leaned on him to help bring the new group along.

“Alex is awesome,” Gniadek said. “He covers up other people’s mistakes. The other guys are learning the position and learning how to play together, and having Alex back there just helps everyone else so much.

“He’s just a rock back there. He does it all.”

Reavis (4-2-1, 4-2-1 South Suburban Red) started slow but has won four straight games. The defense has been a big part of that, allowing just two goals combined in those four victories.

“Practices have helped a lot,” Froylan said. “The coaches usually put the defense together, so we get a chance to know each other more. We’re definitely playing better and communicating better than we were at the start of the season.”

Froylan got a bit of a late start in soccer compared with many of his peers.

“I started playing when I was 10 years old,” he said. “My dad put me on a team coached by one of his co-workers. I played midfielder at first, but I quickly moved to defense, and I’ve stayed there ever since.

“I like getting on guys. I like tackling and just going hard to defend.”

Froylan goes into games with an entirely different mindset these days.

“Confidence is the biggest thing,” he said. “I have a lot more confidence than I did when I was a sophomore or even last year as a junior.”

Dynamite debut: With Stagg shorthanded due to red cards and players competing with their club teams, coach Mike Kealy brought up freshman Jan Halcin for the March 30 game against Bradley-Bourbonnais.

Halcin responded by recording a hat trick in his varsity debut as the Chargers won 5-0.

“Jan’s just cool, calm and collected,” Kealy said. “He’s an attacking mid. He can play on the wing for us. When he’s out there, you don’t know he’s a freshman. He’s a smooth operator.”

Stagg (4-3, 2-0 SouthWest Suburban Red) has won three straight headed into a big game Tuesday against Lincoln-Way Central.

Rousing rally: Ties are seldom as sweet as the one Tinley Park experienced March 29 against rival Oak Forest.

The Titans, playing a man down after a red card, rallied from a 2-0 deficit over the final eight minutes. After Husam Zayyad made it 2-1, Gustavo Chavez produced a rare soccer buzzer beater.

Chavez’s free kick from along the sideline 25 yards out hit the back of the net just before the final second ticked off the clock, forcing a tie.

The comeback was an emotional one for Tinley Park. Senior defender Tadeo Urquizo was injured and taken off the field in an ambulance earlier in the second half.

“I talked to the team when Tadeo was being taken in the ambulance,” Chavez said. “I told them, ‘Let’s do it for him.’ We did it. We tied it.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.