Noll’s Second Half Goal Scores First State Championship
A single second half goal was all that was needed as Hammond Bishop Noll claimed a 1-0 victory over Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter for the IHSAA Class 2A Boys Soccer state championship.
Sophomore Jake Wichlinksi snuck a beautiful crossing pass through the Ritter defense and found classmate Bruno Zamora in the box who drilled the ball to the back of the net with 27:54 left in the match. It was Zamora’s 10th goal of the year and gave Noll its first boys soccer state championship.
The lone newcomers to this year’s state finals, the 14th-ranked Warriors (20-2) completed the season on an eight match winning streak including four victories over ranked opponents. Noll was coached by first year leader Quinn Cloghessy, a 2010 graduate of the Lake County school.
Cardinal Ritter (18-5-1), coached by Bashir Birany, settled for a runner-up finish for the second time in four seasons.
Brandon Fuentes of Hammond Bishop Noll earns C. Eugene Cato Mental Attitude Award
Brandon Fuentes of Hammond Bishop Noll was named the winner of the C. Eugene Cato Mental Attitude Award, sponsored by Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, for Boys Class 2A Soccer by members of the IHSAA Executive Committee.
The Warrior senior has led his team to a sectional and regional title the past two seasons and a semi-state title this season to reach the State Finals. Brandon has an outstanding GPA of 4.388 on a 4.0 scale and is also very involved in community organizations, like being a student volunteer at the East Chicago Public Library. He also is a National Honor Society blood drive officer, along with being an academic tutor. Fuentes is also an Assistant CYO Volleyball Coach for St. Thomas More.
The son of Dave and Laura Fuentes, Brandon plans on attending either Stanford or Vanderbilt to study Pre-Med.
The IHSAA Executive Committee, on behalf of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, will award a scholarship for $1,000 to Hammond Bishop Noll Institute in the name of Brandon Fuentes. Since 1989, almost $900,000 in college scholarships has been presented to deserving high school students in Indiana.