The ILN Contender Series highlights the top teams we believe have a serious chance to win the state title in 2025. Each installment will break down a team’s strengths, weaknesses, key players, and what it will take for them to be the last team standing at the end of the year.

St. Viator is coming off of another bitter exit in the playoffs in 2024. With a talented roster full of Division 1 talent at every position, is this the season Viator finally breaks through?

2024 Record: 15-5 (Sectional Finalist)

2024 Key Wins:

• 3/19 – New Trier – 9-8
• 4/6 – Brother Rice (MI) – 14-13
• 4/26 – York – 7-5
• 5/7 – Loyola – 8-7

Key Departures

• Ryan Halperin – Attack
• Kacper Gwizdz – Defense (Lewis)
• Driese Raap – Midfield (2024 All-State)
• Carson Wilder – Midfield

Key Returners

• Emerson McGrath (Class of 2025 – High Point)
• Michael Tauscher (Class of 2025 – High Point)
• Ethan Angst (Class of 2025 – Quinnipiac)
• Franco Caputo (Class of 2025 – Iona)
• Keaton Franzen (Class of 2026 – UMass)
• Wes Starr (Class of 2025 Ohio Wesleyan)
• Jack Hartman (Class of 2025 – Ohio Wesleyan)

Season Outlook:

St. Viator is now two years removed from a disappointing loss to Wheaton Academy in the 2023 state finals. Last season, Lake Forest and their championship defense ended the Lions’ season in the Sectional Finals. This season they return five Division I commits, as well as a talented goalie in Jack Hartman. The Lions will strive for consistency this season as they look to put the ghosts of Lake Forest and Wheaton Academy in the past and break through for their first State Championship in school history.

Scouting Report:

St. Viator is an offense that can be very exciting to watch when they are playing their game. They run a very heavy rhythm-based, principle-based offense that utilizes a mix of strong dodgers, well-timed off-ball offense, and high-level ball movement. When Viator is in sync, they can score as well as, if not better than any team in the state. Teams will spend much of their prep time game planning for returning All-American Emerson McGrath, as well as Division 1 commit Franco Caputo. In the past, however, certain types of zone defense that apply high pressure and force them out of their rhythm have been key to success against Viator. Expect to see a different mix of zones employed by top teams in the state this year to try and slow them down. Teams will also need to account for Division 1-bound faceoff man Michael Tauscher, who will consistently keep the ball on the offensive end of the field for the Lions. Defensively, this may be the most talented St. Viator defense on record. They return Division 1 commit Ethan Angst, transfer in a number of future college defenders, and return soon-to-be four-year starter Jack Hartman. Defense has been a major question mark for Viator in the past, and this year they look to change that narrative. While their defense has not been bad, it has not performed at the level that the state has seen out of teams that win the championship. They aim to speed offenses up and create turnovers using a high-pressure man-to-man defense and then slow teams down using a 3-3 zone. Viator has all of the talent and systems to win the state title, and if not for Lake Forest returning so many key members of their championship team, Viator might be considered the favorite coming into the season. Whether they can get the job done is another question, as they have had talented teams in the past, but pound for pound this Viator team is their most dangerous in years.

Why They Won’t Win:

Consistency has been fleeting for the Lions. Their 2024 season included wins over talented teams like Brother Rice (MI), Loyola, and New Trier. However, the Lions lost to Lake Forest twice and also fell to Glenbard West. Viator will need to find a way to have their offensive performances carry over from game to game and find a way to beat some of the great zone defenses that the state has seen come to the forefront in the past few seasons. We know that the Lions can win when they score 20 goals, but can they win when their offense is slowed down?

Why They Will Win:

St. Viator enters 2025 with perhaps the most talented roster in the state, featuring five current Division 1 commits and a handful of underclassmen on the Division 1 track. They also boast one of the deepest coaching staffs in the state, led by Coach Geoff Harty, whose offenses have rewritten school record books multiple times, and whose staff was bolstered by the addition of former Assistant Coach of the Year Jack Moran. The Lions know how to fill up the back of the net and enter the season with possibly their most talented defense ever. The Lions have a dominant faceoff man in Michael Tauscher and should control possession in most games. If Viator is able to take advantage of their explosive offense, tough defense, dominant faceoff man, and talented goalie, they have as good a chance as anyone to take home the state title.