SUNSET HILLS — To be perfectly honest, the boys soccer teams from Lindbergh and Vianney high schools have a rivalry that has reached another level.
In most years, the two squads see each other in the regular season and often again in district play. Last year, for example, Vianney won 3-0 at home in the regular season, but Lindbergh turned the tables in district play, coming away with a 4-3 win after a lengthy battle in penalty kicks.
The Flyers went on to place third in Class 4 at state.
But this year, there will be just one Lindbergh vs. Vianney showdown since the Griffins will be competing in Class 3 in the postseason. So Saturday's clash at Lindbergh took on some added significance.
In a tough game featuring plenty of man-to-man battles, the host Flyers persevered 2-1. Lindbergh, ranked third among Post-Dispatch large schools and riding an 11-game unbeaten streak, improved to 13-1-2 while Vianney (7-4-4) suffered its first loss in seven games.
"There was some chirping from both sides through the whole game. We don't like them and they don't like us,'' said Lindbergh sophomore defender Brody Busby, who had a goal and an assist in Saturday's win. "A key for our team is our chemistry; we have a bunch of guys who get along well and who play hard for each other."
After a scoreless first half that featured a lot of hard-nosed play in the midfield, the Griffins created a decent chance just after the break when Nathan Schmidt played the ball to teammate Shane Farrow. He managed to get the ball past Lindbergh goalkeeper Carter Gruen, but Busby was there to clear the ball from danger.
Lindbergh answered with a solid attack of its own. Set up by teammates Carter Heavy and Nick Tallevast, the Flyers' Max Karcher made a nice cutback move but shot the ball wide.
A few minutes later, Lindbergh took the lead as Noel Velazquez played the ball to Busby, who scored with a low shot to the corner.
"My winger got me the ball and I was able to find a gap in the defense and slide the ball to the corner of the goal,'' Busby said of his fifth goal this season.
After the Flyers' Karcher sent a shot off the goal post, Lindbergh went up 2-0 when Busby gained control of the ball in the midfield and made a quick pass to Adis Keranovic breaking down the middle. The senior captain finished the play, giving the Flyers a 2-0 lead with about 18 minutes to play.
In his first season as head coach, Jake Pittroff had nothing but praise for Busby.
"He's a dynamic player and a great kid to coach,'' Pittroff said. "He has a great soccer IQ and he's extremely dangerous coming out of the back. We like to use our backs in the flow of play and he's exceptional at that. When there's a big moment in a game, like today, he's a guy who always seems to step up for us."
Vianney regrouped quickly, cutting the margin in half when Anthony Randazzo scored after a brilliant run through the Flyers defense with just under 16 minutes left.
"We had a little bit of a letdown and Lindbergh capitalized,'' Vianney coach Brian Haddock said. "But I really liked the way our guys responded after that. We got the goal back and really finished strong. If that game's 10 minutes longer, I like our chances. We're disappointed with the loss, obviously, but Lindbergh's a very good team, deep and athletic all over the field.
"For us, games against Lindbergh almost feel like another conference game."
Pittroff felt Lindbergh's depth was a key factor.
"We went to our bench and put a number of guys in tough spots and they responded. It was a total team effort,'' the coach said. "A lot of credit goes to our grinders in the middle — sophomore Arnez Dakic, senior captain Adis Keranovic and senior Josh Bocklage, they're guys who find the ball and do most of our ball-tracking.
"We're a team that's adopted a next-man-up mentality. Every guy, starter or reserve, has a job to do, and our success depends on every one of them going out and doing whatever the team needs."
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Lindbergh's Brody Busby (15) and Vianney's Andrew Abeln chase the ball during a boys soccer game on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at Lindbergh High School in Sappington, Mo. Paul Kopsky | Special to