Naperville North junior forward Claire DeCook is considered an honorary senior by her teammates.
When the season ends for the outgoing senior class, DeCook will be saying goodbye to her high school playing career too.
The Tennessee recruit intends to graduate in December so she can begin taking classes at the university in January and get a head start on her college soccer career. DeCook made the decision before the beginning of this season at the urging of Tennessee’s coaching staff.
“They highly encourage their recruits to come early just so you get a feel for everything,” she said. “But it’s completely optional.
“My family and I talked about the advantages and everything, and we thought it was best for me, especially with all the resources they could provide. It didn’t take me long at all to be like, ‘Yeah, I kind of want to do this.’”
DeCook, whose older sister Cameron is a student at Tennessee, is part of a new trend of high school stars graduating early. It is more common in football, but for girls soccer players, it means missing their final high school season.
The decision sped up the end of a whirlwind high school career for DeCook, who was the all-area player of the year in 2024 after returning from ACL surgery. This season has felt a little surreal to her.
“It’s definitely different because when you’re a junior, it’s like, ‘Oh, you have another season,’” she said. “I feel like everyone feels that they have more time than they do.
“Freshman and sophomore year went by so fast, and so did junior year. It was a big reality check in like, ‘OK, this is my last game playing against this team.’ “So the fact that I don’t have another year after this, I’m just living in the moment and making sure I get everything done now.”
DeCook, as ever, is getting a lot done. She scored the game-winning goal in the fourth-seeded Huskies’ 3-0 victory over 13th-seeded Plainfield East in the Class 3A Oswego Regional semifinals on Wednesday. It was DeCook’s 10th goal of the season and the 40th of her career.
The Huskies (12-5-3), who will play either fifth-seeded Oswego or 12th-seeded Waubonsie Valley in the regional championship game at noon Saturday, want to extend their season — and DeCook’s tenure — as long as possible.
“When we did our senior night, that’s when it kind of became really real, when she was wearing the senior shirt rather than the underclassman shirt,” Naperville North senior defender Emily Buescher said. “The other three freshmen she came on the team with, they gave her her rose. That was a really big thing.
“We don’t refer to her as a senior, but in the world of soccer she is.”
The Minnesota-bound Buescher said it was amazing to play alongside DeCook, whom she has known since they were little.
One of Buescher’s club teammates, Mya Nugent, enrolled early at Minnesota. Buescher sees the benefits in doing so but opted not to do so herself.
“It is much bigger culturally with the SEC,” Buescher said. “It gives them a lot of time to start lifting and stuff like that.
“I leave in three weeks, so I leave pretty early too. But I definitely wanted to be here. I didn’t get to play high school soccer my freshman and sophomore year, so to me I could never give up this because we’re a family. What would I do without this?”
What will the Huskies do without DeCook? Naperville North coach Steve Goletz is going to find out sooner than he’d like.
“For Claire to have the opportunity she has is incredible, and it’s because of all the hard work that she’s put in since she’s been a little kid,” Goletz said. “She’s going to go on and do great things.
“For us, it’s sad just because of not only Claire’s soccer ability but also her and her family are incredible people. We really have enjoyed some amazing memories and moments with not only Claire but also Cam. So not only are we going to miss her on the field in regards to her ability, but also the charisma and what she brings every day.”
Which is considerable.
“Her work rate is incredible,” Goletz said. “Her willingness to compete is next level. I’m just super fortunate that I’ve been able to coach her and sad that this is it.
“Hopefully we can continue to win and get as many games as possible with her and with this fantastic group as a whole.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.