Two years ago, Harvest-Westminster’s Heitor Bannwart arrived in the United States ready to show that his game transcended the culture or the language.
Now a senior forward, the native of Sao Paulo, Brazil had a limited command of English at first, but he still maintained a burning desire to break new ground in soccer.
“You have to be willing to get outside of your comfort zone,” Bannwart said. “I didn’t speak the language at all and everything was a new challenge.
“My head is stronger than the ball, and the one thing I never worry about is getting concussions.”
Bannwart continued to use his head Wednesday afternoon, scoring on a header in the 55th minute to spark a 2-1 victory over Byron in a Class 1A Indian Creek Sectional semifinal at Waterman.
Not content with just scoring goals, Bannwart added an assist for the Warrior-Lions (24-3-1), who will face Mendota (22-4) at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the sectional championship game.
With a team-best 32 goals to go with 17 assists, Bannwart is a key reason Harvest-Westminster remains undefeated against 1A competition, according to senior midfielder Brian Powers.
“He’s always saving the day,” Powers said of Bannwart. “He really talks the entire game and he really controls the full game. We always know he is going to score the easy one.”
Bannwart also assisted on a goal in the first half by freshman forward Nehemiah Meurer that created a 1-0 lead for the Warrior-Lions .
After Byron converted the equalizer at the start of the second half, Bannwart relied on a familiar voice for the game-winning play.
Junior midfielder Lucas Menezes is one of the two other players on the team who speaks Portuguese. Menezes made a quick touch that Bannwart finished inside the near post.
“I speak to him in Portuguese all the time,” Bannwart said. “I told him where I was and nobody else on the field understood me. He knew where to send it to me.
“They didn’t know, and I was completely free.”
Menezes has scored 23 goals with a team-best 23 assists for Harvest-Westminster.
“We have very good chemistry and we connect very well on the field,” he said of Bannwart. “He has great ball control, really knows how to pass and is very good with the ball.”
Bannhart, Powers and Menezes demonstrated an uncanny, almost-effortless ability to develop connections together on the field for Harvest-Westminster.
While Bannwart’s parents still reside in Brazil, he lives in Elgin with his uncle. His older brother, Jose Arthur, played high school soccer in Brazil but came to the U.S. to play at Eastern Illinois.
Soccer is the connective thread that has accelerated Heitor’s assimilation.
“Soccer is king in Brazil,” he said. “I arrived here in August 2023, and all of my best friends were seniors that year. The game made me their best friend.
“This year, we probably have more talent as individuals, but we also have more teamwork.”
After his attempt on a penalty kick was saved by Byron’s goalkeeper in the first half, Bannwart pointed out that every player on the team consoled him and told him not to lose faith.
He made the most of his second chance.
Bannwart plays central defender in club, but the Warrior-Lions need him to score and facilitate. By his own admission, he’s still learning the intricacies of the position.
His competitive desire to learn drives him to excellence. It’s a mentality that resonates in every aspect of his life.
“Soccer is always a new experience and there’s always something to learn,” Bannwart said. “I believe if you work hard and if you practice hard every day, the results are going to come.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.