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Week one of prep water polo is complete in the state of Illinois, where the Fenwick boys are in the odd position of beginning the season as slight underdogs.
While the Fenwick girls earned a championship in 2012, the boys dropped a qualifying match to Lyons Township, who then proceeded to win their first state title. Now the Friars, led by UCLA-bound and Midwest-best Matt Farmer, is attempting to return to the top.
No state receives the same concentration of media coverage like Illinois does when it comes to high school water polo. Look no further than the prolific Aaron Brown and his work at illpolo.com, a site that has become the primary source for rankings and news about the sport in the Land of Lincoln. In his girls’ season preview he places Fenwick at the top while Mother McCauley rises from last year’s fifth place finish to earn a spot in second.
On the boys’ side Lyons remains the favorite. As Brown writes:
The Lions return several key components from last year’s title team, so they should begin the season confident they can defend their first-ever championship. Joe Shannon leads the way on the offensive end, with Josh Hirt, Peter Dore, and Sean McMahon making the Lions a tough attack to contain. Chris Sekula returns in goal, while sophomore Tommy Kaptur could step into the role of defensive stopper for head coach Doug Eichstaedt.
Fenwick begins the season ranked second by illpolo.com. But the Friars have gained significant experience with a full off-season of competition together on the Windy City club team. Theirs isn’t the only team that did so. But combined with Farmer’s star power, that boost of experience could be the final ingredient for yet another state championship.
The local media has all the angles covered as well:
- Oakpark.com says the pressure is off the Fenwick boys after their 2012 loss, and that Oak Park River Forest is poised for a return to the top.
- More Fenwick coverage from Riverforest.com, which features an interview with the UCLA-bound Farmer, and a piece on Colleen and Maureen Barron’s roles with the two-time defending champion girls’ team.
- Lockport and its senior-heavy squad gets some coverage from the Herald News.
- In the South, Homewood-Flossmoor is trying to overcome its playoff loss to Lockport and return to past success, according to the Southtown Star.
- Mundelein junior Karrie Kozokar, and Stevenson senior goalie Rob O’Brien are featured in the Mundelein Review.
- The North and Northwest ‘burbs get their coverage by the Journal Online.
Illinois state high school sectional play-ins begin on May 6. State championships will be at Stevenson High School beginning May 16.
This story was updated on March 13, 2013.
