Aiden Sears wants to make a leap and help Sycamore do the same – Shaw Local

SYCAMORE – Last year, the Sycamore boys soccer team completed a streak of three consecutive postseason appearances, breaking the regional title.

But with eight starters returning from last year, the Spartans have spent the summer starting a new streak.

“We’re capable of great things,” midfielder Aiden Sears said. “We just have to do it, in my opinion.”

Sears was a major factor for the Spartans last year, as the team went 12-11-1, shared the Interstate 8 title with Kaneland and lost 1-0 to the Knights in the semifinals of the Class 2A Rochelle Regional.

He assisted on 10 goals and scored three himself as a sophomore, earning a spot on the Daily Chronicle 2023 All-Area Boys Soccer first team. And with leading scorer Jameson Carl and his 22 goals back for his senior season, Sears figures to be a key component to any potential Sycamore success according to head coach Kevin Bickley.

“You still need one of those guys who’s good with the ball,” Bickley said. “We can pass the ball around and have possession, but we want to be dangerous and tackle guys and get shots off, maybe try to pass the ball to Jameson or one of the other midfielders.”

Bickley said Sears excels with the ball. He said that can sometimes result in trying to do too much, but more often than not it means a dazzling display of technical football.

“I’m hoping that with a year under his belt, he’ll show a lot more leadership this year,” Bickley said. “He’s one of our key players up the middle. He’s great on the ball, just a great work ethic. There’s just times when he gets in a situation, in traffic, and somehow gets through defenders. … When you see him and he does what he does, it’s just great.”

Bickley said the summer at Sears was about finding the balance between taking players one-on-one and knowing when to pass.

“He’s got to learn that he doesn’t have to do so much and he doesn’t have to be so predictable and he doesn’t have to play against guys so much,” Bickley said. “He’s got to try to find his teammates. But he’s a really good leader. Guys look to him and trust him with the ball.”

Sycamore won regional titles in 2019, 2021 and 2022, but fell short last year. Their last regional title before a streak of three straight crowns – there was no postseason in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions – was in 2009.

Sears said he is personally trying to build on his success from last year while helping the team achieve its goals.

“We set some goals, win the conference and make the first playoff bracket,” Sears said. “We worked hard on that.”

Sears said the summer has been great for the team. Bickley said things go a lot smoother with so many players returning.

“When you have a big group like that coming back, you’re off to a much better start,” Bickley said. “You’ve got that tight group that knows each other and knows how to play together. When you lose 10 or 11 seniors, you really have to build on some guys that haven’t played together that much.”