ETHS boys soccer: Kits complete turnaround with 3rd-place victory

Head coach Franz Calixte joins the team captains midfield with the trophy. Credit: Nate Perry ROCKFORD — Fighters don’t stop fighting. That’s the message Evanston soccer coach Franz Calixte delivered in his pregame talk with his players prior to the Class 3A Illinois High School Association state tournament third place game here Saturday against Lockport. Calixte might not be Knute Rockne when it comes to inspirational speeches. But his message rang true, reminding the Wildkits of just who they are, and helped them bounce back from a devastating semifinal loss on Friday to capture the third place trophy with a 3-0 blanking of Lockport. That victory finished off a “worst to first” type of run for the Wildkits, who only mustered a total of four wins all of last season — then improved to a final mark of 16-7-1 in 2026. That’s the biggest improvement in a one-year stretch in the long and storied history of the program. Senior Matthew Gilroy (9) heads upfield. Credit: Nate Pe