THE ILLPOLO REPORT
Week 7
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
Connor Hecker (Lockport)
GIRLS
Claudia Lundgren (Lyons)
Biggest Impact Plays
BOYS
Collin O'Donnell (LWE)
O'Donnell's goal in sudden-death overtime sent the Griffins past LWN 15-14
in a Friday night SWSC clash.
Jerome Gabriel (Palatine)
Gabriel scored the game-winner in overtime as Palatine got past Schaumburg
11-10 on Monday night.
Sam Yavitt/Will Kohr (New Trier)
Yavitt scored the game-tying goal and assisted Kohr on the game-winner (at
the buzzer) in New Trier's 10-9 victory over Naperville North on Friday
evening.
GIRLS
Alexis Anderson (H-F)
Anderson tallied the game-winning goal in the first overtime period to
lift the Vikings over Richards 11-7 on Monday.
Genevieve Curry (Oak Park)
Curry scored the game-tying goal early in the fourth quarter before
netting the game-winner with 2:34 remaining as OPRF outlasted Naperville
North 10-9 on Saturday.
Lizzie Hardt (Meadows)
Hardt scored the game-winner in Meadows' 7-5 shootout win over Fremd on
Saturday morning at the STC East Tourney.
Top Goalie Performances
BOYS
Brian Johnson (Glenbrook South)
Johnson rejected 30 shots at the GBS Tournament to help the Titans finish
in second place at their own event. He also made 23 saves in a Week 7 win
over Niles West.
Jack Roche (Naperville North)
Roche totaled 66 saves and earned 5 wins for the Huskies during Week 7,
which included victories over Conant and Neuqua Valley during the week and
a third place finish at the GBS Tournament over the weekend.
Kent Emden (Naperville Central)
Emden stopped 40 shots to help the Redhawks claim the Mundelein Tournament
title and blocked 12 shots in a win over Barrington on Thursday.
GIRLS
Faith Vandercar (Naperville Central)
Vandercar made 38 saves and allowed less than 4 goals per game as the
Redhawks won their own tournament and went 4-1 during Week 7.
Issi French (Neuqua Valley)
French made 28 saves and allowed less than one goal per game to help the
Wildcats win their own tournament over the weekend. She also made 22 saves
earlier in the week in games against Lyons and Naperville North.
Kaitlyn Peterson (Oak Park)
Peterson made 37 saves during Week 7 as OPRF went 5-0 during Week 7 and
also won the Naperville North Tourney.
Sarah Lewand (York)
Lewand recorded 20 saves and blocked 2 penalty shots as the Dukes edged
Loyola 6-5 during Week 7.
Biggest Surprises
BOYS
Metea Valley
The Mustangs earned their first win over Neuqua Valley in school history
on Saturday afternoon to claim the Neuqua Tournament title over the hosts,
Bradley and Maine South.
GIRLS
Wheeling
The Wildcats earned their first win of the season by edging Hersey 6-5 on
Wednesday night to shake things up in the MSL East standings as the
postseason approaches.
News and Notes
Sectional Seeds
The IHSA extended the sectional seeding process by one week this year, as
outlined in this NEWS item earlier in the week. The seeds are now expected
to be announced on April 28.
Two Weeks Remain
Seven weeks of the regular season are in the books and just two weeks
remain until the postseason arrives.
Super Ballers
BOYS
Henry Yavitt (New Trier)
Michael Krueger (New Trier)
Sam Yavitt (New Trier)
GIRLS
Genevieve Curry (Oak Park)
Jilly Cronin (Oak Park)
Issi French (Neuqua Valley)
Zoe Salafatinos (Neuqua Valley)
