Proviso West Panthers

AT A GLANCE
Conference West Suburban Silver
Home Field Proviso West High School, 4701 W. Harrison St., Hillside
Last year’s record (0-6, 7th in West Suburabn Silver)
Coach Vic Montoya

Top returners
Salvador Chavez sr. Sweeper

KEY MATCHES
Aug. 27-29 Proviso West Invite This is a chance for the Panthers to get some quality games under their belts at their home field.
Sept. 12 at Morton Morton is always a tough test and one of the best crossover matches you can get.
Sept. 30 at Lyons Township LT is one of the favorites in the West Suburban Silver and should be a tough test for the Panthers.

WHAT TO WATCH
Former Lyons Township coach Victor Montoya takes over a program that was flourishing earlier in the decade (beating Lyons Township in 2002) but has been floundering lately. The Panthers haven’t been able to take their talent and put it all together, which is something that Montoya is good at — taking what he has and molding it into something positive. With 2007 MVP Salvador Chavez back, the Panthers have someone to lean on for scoring and leadership, now it’s just time to put everything together.

COACH SPEAK
Vic Montoya
Q: Considering this is your first year at Proviso West, what kinds of goals have you set for the season?
A: The goal is for everyone to learn to respect the game and respect each other, including their opponents. I want to try to instill in them the values that will also help them in the real world. They have all season to show me what they have learned.
Q: You coached at Lyons Township in the past. Why take over the program at Proviso West?
A: I like the idea of taking a program that has been down and trying to build it up again. When I was at LT, the program was down and I helped them get downstate two years in a row for the first time in a long time. I think I’m good at helping teams pick it up a couple of levels. I’d like to get this program playing on a consistent level and help it develop a solid attitude.
Q: What positives have you seen so far from the team?
A: I would give the guys a 10-plus right now for their effort. We’re building a foundation right now even though we haven’t had much time together. When we play (Aug. 25) we’ll only have had a few practices under our belts, so we’ll what we can do.