Robert Wertke started playing soccer at the age of five, looking for an outlet to satisfy both his endless supply of energy and his competitive spirit.

Those days playing at the Winfield Park District, the Wheaton North senior probably couldn’t have imagined how far soccer would take him, but 13 years of dedication to the sport have led to some of the greatest achievements the sport has at the amateur level.

At the team level he helped the Falcons to their first regional title since 2005 this fall, and on the personal side he is the 2008 Leader/News/Press Player of the Year.

“I was looking for a sport to keep me going,” Wertke said of his early competitive days. “From an early age soccer did it for me.”

Wertke’s instant love affair with the sport helped him quickly progress through the club ranks, from the Wheaton Falcons to the Chicago Fire Juniors to the Olympic Development Program. His climb in club level soccer came as his skills progressed.

This fall for the Falcons, his third season on the varsity team, he was the spark that drove the Falcons to their first postseason trophy since they took third in the state in 2005.

Wertke has all the physical tools — speed, skill, vision — that make a successful player, but his best asset is between his ears.

The team captain with a dedicated Christian background who is a member of three academic honor societies — National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Math Honor Society — has knowledge few possess, and it transfers to the pitch.

“Robert is a very intelligent player that reads the game very well,” Wheaton North head coach Bryce Cann said. “It was rare that he wasn't in position to receive a pass or anticipating a ball.”

Or in perfect position to score the game-winner in this year’s regional championship. When Pat Langan’s free kick was cleared by a Streamwood defender it came to a waiting Wertke, who sent a rocket on net to open the scoring in North’s 4-0 win.

Wertke scored twice in that game, but he’s a player who takes more pride in the 12 assists he dished this season rather than the six goals he put in the net.

“His ability to deliver high quality serves was a great asset,” Cann said. “That requires not only excellent skill, but also outstanding awareness of where your teammates are. “

“Leadership is definitely what I pride myself on,” Wertke said. “Being able to distribute I think is a highlight of my game.”

Wertke will have a chance to make more highlights when he plays at the collegiate level. Right now Calvin College, Hope College and Bethel College are three he could attend, but he’s also been in contact with coaches from other institutions.

“No matter where Robert attends school next year, that team will be getting an outstanding soccer player and student,” Cann said. “Most importantly, that program and school will also be receiving an outstanding young man that will represent them very well both on and off the field.”

5 things to know about Robert Wertke

1 Favorite moment Being able to step up in the regional championship

2 Favorite pro player Steven Gerrard

3 Least favorite pro David Villa

4 Pregame iPod music Definitely rap gets me the most pumped up, but there’s some alternative and techno

5 Most memorable play Sophomore year I came down the right side and crossed the ball in for the goal that beat Wheaton Warrenville South. That was the only time we beat South.

Meet the rest of the 2008 Leader/News/Press all-area team:

Andrew Bellmer

Junior

Wheaton Warrenville South

POSITION Midfielder

STATS 10 goals, 5 assists

ACHIEVEMENTS Adding to a talented family tradition (sister, Allison, started on last year’s regional-champ girls team), Andrew was high scorer on a team that was third in the DuPage Valley Conference at 3-2-2 despite graduating seven starters, including two all-staters.
His well-rounded game also helped WWS go 7-7-8, tying school records for ties and overtimes played (six overall, five in DVC games).
Bellmer impressed others enough to be named to both the all-DVC and all-sectional squads and will be the focal point of the team in 2009.

Trevor Bushhouse

Senior

Wheaton North

POSITION Midfielder

STATS 11 goals, 2 assists

ACHIEVEMENTS This fierce competitor was instrumental in the Falcons’ regional championship campaign. He was able to find open space in the offensive zone or create his own space with an array of skillful moves, and he was as dangerous picking a ball out of midair as he was finishing a cross on the ground. The dangerous Bushhouse was a unanimous DuPage Valley all-conference selection and was also an Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association all-sectional player.

Bryan Emanuel

Senior

Glenbard West

POSITION Stopper

STATS 7 goals, 18 assists, team MVP

ACHIEVEMENTS Emanuel didn’t find the cure for cancer, but he did about everything else this fall. The Hilltoppers’ captain logged the most minutes, was a lockdown defender and with a lethal long-distance throw in was a threat in the offensive end. Emanuel was selected to the West Suburban all-conference and all-academic teams, was named to the IHSSCA all-sectional team and was honored by the Chicago Fire as an all-state all-academic selection.

Mike Fernald

Senior

Wheaton North

POSITION Forward

STATS 8 goals, 8 assists

ACHIEVEMENTS Fernald was second on the Falcons with eight goals, but with his eight assists he joined Bushhouse and Wertke as the team’s leading scorers.
Wheaton North may have been known for defense, but Fernald was one of its dangerous attackers, especially around the goal. Perhaps his biggest play of the season was his skilled assist to Robert Wertke for the Falcons’ second goal in the regional championship game.

Scott Glotzbach

Senior

Glenbard West

POSITION Forward

STATS 11 goals, 2 assists

ACHIEVEMENTS Glotzbach was named Glenbard West offensive Player of the year, and accumulated his stats in just half a season after taking over when injured West Suburban all-conference selection Kyle Donegan was lost for the year. Glotzbach capably and skillfully finished both on the ground and in the air when given the opportunity. The West Suburban Conference all-academic selection helped West reach the regional finals.

Jason Lollar

Senior

Wheaton North

POSITION Midfielder

STATS 4 goals, 7 assists

ACHIEVEMENTS Lollar’s scoring numbers may not be jaw-dropping, but in the western suburbs and in the DuPage Valley Conference midfielders are not judged by scoring alone. Lollar was a skillful two-way midfielder, confident joining the attack but just as solid stifling an opponents’ attack in the midfield before it gained momentum. Lollar was named to the DVC and IHSSCA sectional honorable mention teams this season.

Dylan Milkent

Senior

Glenbard South

POSITION Keeper

STATS Six shutouts, 10 wins

ACHIEVEMENTS Seemingly always in the right position to make the save, Milkent was also capable of making the highlight-reel variety save if needed. He was quietly spectacular all season, especially when the stakes were the highest and the pressure was the greatest. He kept an aggressive Fenwick team off the board long enough for the Raiders to win at the Willowbrook tourney, made 19 saves and kept Glenbard West scoreless in the second half of South’s 2-1 win and made 17 saves in the regional final as the Raiders took state third-place St. Joseph to triple overtime.

Luis Ortega

Junior

West Chicago

POSITION Midfielder

STATS 11 goals, three assists

ACHIEVEMENTS This Wildcat showed he deserves to be a preseason pick for DuPage Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2009.
Opponents needed one game to know that the all-DVC Ortega was a threat to score from anywhere with either foot. He is also arguably the biggest reason why West Chicago went from a .500 club to one that won nearly twice as many games as it lost (13-7-3 overall) and captured the championship of the J.D. Jacobs Tournament for the first time in the last four years, outscoring opponents 9-1. Ortega scored three times and was named that tournament’s MVP.

Foster Pyle

Senior

Glenbard South

POSITION Forward

STATS 15 goals

ACHIEVEMENTS Pyle was easy to see on the field, and not just because he was usually the tallest player on it. His skills demanded attention by fans and opposing coaches. The team captain had the ability to get open in tiny spaces near the goal, and the skill to finish on those feeds, but he also possessed deceptive strength that helped keep defenders at bay when he had the ball on his feet. The Western Sun-all-conference selection was the Raiders’ leading scorer this season.

Ryan Seager

Senior

Wheaton Academy

POSITION Goalkeeper

STATS 8 shutouts, 1.01 goals-against average

ACHIEVEMENTS An honorable-mention all-sectional pick, Seager’s value was born out on a team that lost eight starters from last year’s sectional finalist yet did it again. A four-year varsity player, Seager made 149 saves for the 14-5-4 Warriors,  15 in a Pepsi Showdown game with St. Viator. His steadiness and leadership in net also helped Wheaton Academy claim the final title of the Private School League, as it joins the new Suburban Christian Conference.

Robert Wertke

Senior

Wheaton North

POSITION Midfielder

STATS 6 goals, 12 assists

ACHIEVEMENTS The 2008 Leader/News/Press Player of the Year and team captain was quick, smart, skillful and fearless. Outstanding running forward to join the attack with vision to hit teammates with passes in the tightest of spaces (his 12 assists tied for the team lead), he was just as adept at reading opponents’ tactics and intercepting potential transition passes.
“His intelligence is due to his relentless work ethic,” Wheaton North coach Bryce Cann said. “Robert refuses to allow anyone on the field to work harder than he does.”

Charles West

Senior

Wheaton Academy

POSITION Defender/midfielder

STATS 10 goals, 4 assists

ACHIEVEMENTS Playing more than half the season as his team’s sweeper, West was then moved up to a central midfielder position and the change paid dividends as Wheaton Academy went 9-2-2 after losing three of four games in the top-flight Pepsi Showdown tournament and rode an 11-game unbeaten streak into the Class 2A sectional finals.
Standing 6-feet-5 and displaying impressive agility and quickness borne from being a state qualifier in tennis, West, the Warriors’ co-captain, was named both all-Private School League and all-sectional.