De La Salle’s Jahir Anaya had the ultimate motivation to take into the offseason, pushing himself to get even better. Not just as a soccer player, but as a person.
Moments after the Meteors finished off a 1-0 win over Prairie Ridge in a Class 2A semifinal last November, Anaya was given a red card for taunting the opposing fans. He could not play in the state championship game, which De La Salle lost 3-2 in overtime to Belleville Althoff.
It was a bitter ending to an historic season for Anaya and his teammates who played in their school’s first team state championship game in any sport.
“That really hurt me,” Anaya said. “I’m not going to lie. It really hit me deep. When the final bell rang and I knew we lost, I put all that on me. I kept that burden for months.
“I came in for summer workouts like, ‘That was my fault. I’ve got to work for this. It’s senior year and it’s my turn.’”
Anaya is back with a new attitude but the same ability to make dazzling stops. He made seven saves Thursday night, including some huge ones late as De La Salle held on for a 3-2 win over Lockport in the championship game of the 32-team Windy City Ram Classic at Reavis.
Alex Panduro scored two goals for the Meteors (5-0), who won the tournament for the first time. Christian Flores added a goal, while Kevin Gates tallied an assist.
Krystian Rafacz scored both goals for Lockport (4-1). Aleko Kolliniatis had an assist.
Anaya, meanwhile, knew he would need to change his mentality in order for the Meteors to be at their best this season. The red card at state was his second of that postseason.
“It helped me open my eyes and realize that, if I let them get in my head, they win,” Anaya said. “Even if we won the game, I lost if that happens.
“I’m trying to keep my composure, stay cool and do it for everyone around me, not just myself.”
Stepping up for others was certainly on Anaya’s mind Thursday night when he leaped to knock away a Lockport shot in the final minutes to cap a second half full of big saves.
“Last year changed a lot in my life,” Anaya said. “That made me realize that what I do is wrong and sometimes I have to put other people before myself.
“The whole time I was blocking shots and keeping my head, I was like, ‘This is for my teammates, my coaches, my parents, all the people that I did dirty last year.’”
Anaya had not allowed a goal through four games before Rafacz gave Lockport the lead in the 24th minute.
Down 1-0 at halftime, the Meteors turned it up a few notches after the break. Flores tied the game, putting in a rebound after his penalty shot was saved.
Panduro then scored twice, bringing his season total to eight goals.
“After the first half, we motivated each other to do better,” Panduro said. “We hate losing. We always want to be winners. We never want to be losers.”
De La Salle coach Francisco Martinez knows Anaya never wants to be on the bench watching a loss again.
“We told him, ‘It’s a burden if you want to look at it that way, but don’t make it a burden. Make it a learning experience,’” Martinez said. “We told him to use that energy and channel it to have a more productive year this year. Close that chapter. It’s a new chapter.”
One that Anaya is confident will have a happier ending.
“When that happened at state, I saw my parents cry,” Anaya said. “I’d never seen them cry before. That switched something in my head. I knew I had to go for it all this year.
“It’s my time to shine.”