THE ILLPOLO REPORT
Week 2
The following is a summary of what took place during the
most recent
week in water polo action in Illinois. This is not a complete list; the purpose is to recognize several
of the best performances from across the state that have been reported.
Players To Watch
BOYS
Kiernan Kelty (Oak Park)
Omar Pantoja (Curie)
GIRLS
Keanen Bender (Maine South)
Molly McGuire (Fenwick)
Biggest Impact Plays
BOYS
James Harris (Morgan Park)
Harris scored the game-winning goal with five seconds left as Morgan Park
completed a comeback to beat Taft 24-23.
Joey Tomczuk (Lockport)
Tomczuk netted the game-winning goal in the final period of Lockport's 9-8
win over Niles West to send the Porters to the Mundelein Tournament's
title game.
Shane Hughes (St Ignatius)
Hughes nailed the game-winning goal at the buzzer from nine meters to send
the Wolfpack past H-F 8-7 on Friday night at the Fenwick Tournament.
GIRLS
Alexa Diaz (Richards)
Diaz made a crucial block at the end of regulation to help Richards hold
off Riverside-Brookfield 8-7.
Gracie Dix (Prospect)
Dix netted the game-winning goal in overtime as the Knights beat Hersey
7-6 on Monday in MSL East action.
Katy Kirsh (Buffalo Grove)
Kirsh delivered the game-winner in sudden death overtime to send the Bison
past Hersey 13-12 on Wednesday.
Top Goalie Performances
BOYS
Edin Latin (Schaumburg)
Latic made 34 saves to help the Saxons win their own event with four
straight victories.
Frank Skorski (St Viator)
Skorski recorded 40 saves and won five straight games as the Lions won the
Evanston Tournament.
Jake Burke (LWC)
Burke knocked down 25 shots and a penalty shot to help the Knights claim
the LWN Tournament title.
Pat Melaniphy (Lockport)
Melaniphy came up big for the Porters with 43 saves as they won the
Mundelein Tournament with a 4-0 record.
Will Skowron (Fenwick)
Skowron denied 26 shots and helped the Friars beat OPRF, Lyons, Naperville
Central, and Stevenson over the weekend at the Dan Lynch Classic.
GIRLS
Betsy Zanocco (Meadows)
Zanocco allowed just five goals per game as the Mustangs won the
Jones-Payton Tournament on Saturday.
Christina McBride (Naperville North)
McBride stopped 17 shots in wins over Fenwick and Neuqua Valley on
Saturday to help the Huskies take over the top spot in this week's
rankings.
Jenny Stelnicki (St Ignatius)
Stelnicki allowed just four goals in wins over H-F, Mother McAuley and
Naperville Central as the Wolfpack won the NC Tournament.
Meghan Woell (Palatine)
Woell earned her first varsity-level victory in her first start and made
seven saves as the Pirates knocked off GBS on Friday night.
Biggest Surprises
BOYS
Schaumburg
The Saxons announced their reemergence with four straight wins over
Lafayette, Wheeling, York, and Young to win their own event.
GIRLS
Lake Forest
The Scouts sent a message on Saturday at the STC North Tournament by
beating a pair of Top 25 teams (Andrew, STC North) to win the event.
News and Notes
Sectional Hosts
The IHSA normally announces the sectional hosts for the water polo
playoffs at the end of March, so expect there to be an announcement early
this week regarding where this year's playoffs will take place.
Super Ballers
BOYS
Danny Farmer (Fenwick)
GIRLS
Katie Horn/Jilian Eiken
(Naperville North)
