Over the past five years, the Homewood-Flossmoor girls soccer program has become the epitome of a team that does not rebuild, but reloads.
The Vikings have won 15 postseason games in that span, including a supersectional appearance in 2007 and a state tournament berth in 2008.
Meanwhile, the torch was passed from Thea Johnson to Kim Schmitt to Maggie Hoskin. For the last three years that torch has belonged to Melanie Coderre, who coach Todd Elkei calls "the face of Homewood-Flossmoor soccer."
With 27 goals and 19 assists this season Coderre scored the most points in the area on the best team in the area against the hardest schedule in the area.
What more can be said? Melanie Coderre is the 2010 Times Soccer Player of the Year.
"She scored some big goals for us, this year and for the last four years," Elkei said. "She had a game-winner for us in the Pepsi Showdown, one of the biggest tournaments in the state."
Being tagged the face of the program is something that Coderre relishes.
It has its downsides, but Coderre, bound for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the fall, would not have it any other way.
"One of my favorite parts about being on this team is being a role model and setting an example for younger players in the program and in the community," Coderre said.
"It can be a lot of pressure sometimes, and it can get overwhelming, but I love it. It forces me to work extra hard and always make sure I'm doing the right thing."
That attitude was on full display after the Vikings' season ended.
Despite Coderre's individual success this year, H-F's season ended in heartbreaking fashion. With legitimate expectations to make a run at a state championship, H-F was instead upset 1-0 by Stagg in a regional final. She finished with 96 career goals, placing her second behind Gina Napoli, who is the program's all-time leading scorer.
Immediately after the crushing defeat, Coderre didn't look back on her four years of soccer or sulk over the unexpected loss. Her first thoughts were for her teammates and the community.
"I just thought about the girls on the team and the community and how much we worked for all of them," Coderre said. "It was disappointing we couldn't go further for them."
In talking with the Viking star, her community is a recurring theme.
There is a close-knit relationship between the H-F soccer program and the fans in Homewood and Flossmoor, and Coderre realizes the importance.
"When we made it down state my sophomore year, the whole community came down to support us," Coderre said. "When you looked into the stands, it was all red and white. It was awesome."
For all the support that the community has given her and the Vikings in her four years at H-F, Coderre does as much as she can to give back.
That includes working in multiple H-F soccer club camps to train future Vikings stars.
After all, the Vikings will always need to reload.
