By Five state high school champions were crowned on Saturday with the girls of Washington and Illinois providing the bulk of the drama.
- The South Sound (WA) high school girls’ water polo championships culminated with a defensive battle between favored Gig Harbor and nearby rivals Curtis. The two programs had met five consecutive times for the championships with the Tides having won three straight. But on Saturday they were stymied by Curtis, whose defense effectively shut down Julia Ponce, Gig Harbor’s talented leading scorer. The Vikings limited the Tides to three goals in the first three quarters, then clamped down to shut them out in the final period, earning a hard-fought 4-3 victory for the championship. Some encouraging news for for the sport and its growth in Washington was the inclusion of Seattle-area teams in this year’s 12-team field, suggesting a gradual expansion the high school game in the state.
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| “We Believed.” St. Ignatius, IL Champs (@SICPGWP) |
- Two thousand miles east, another upset of sorts in Linconshire. The girls of St. Ignatius entered the IHSA Illinois championships ranked second behind Fenwick. Top-ranked Mother McAuley dispatched the Friars in a quarterfinal match on friday that featured a ferocious four-goal comeback by Fenwick to tie the game at seven, and an 18-minute power outage. The instant classic ended with the Mighty Macs converting a player-up goal with seconds remaining, knocking the defending champions from the tournament, 8-7. On Saturday morning, McAuley was on the wrong side of the same scoreline, dropping the semifinal to surging St. Ignatius. In the opposite bracket Lincoln-Way Central, ranked seventh at the end of the regular season, earned two one-goal victories to become the first south suburban team ever to play in the championship. In the final match the Wolfpack let the Knights’ superstar Danijela Jackovich score five in the first half, then limited her and her teammates to four more total for a 12-9 win. The championship is the first in St. Ignatius’ 144-year history. (A photo set here.)
- Fenwick’s tenth Illinois state boys’ title was smoothed considerably after the Friars defeated rival Lyons Township in their sectional final a week ago. Challenged most in the semifinals by Naperville North, which came within two goals from victory, Fenwick was six goals superior to host team Stevenson in the championship match. (Photo gallery here.)
- Kearns remains the class of Utah high school boys after beating Cottonwood in their state final on Saturday. The Colts came closest to challenging the defending champs, falling in the final 12-8. On the girls’ side, Murray came out on top beating Kearns in the championship match, 7-4. For the first time in several years the tournament was not divided in to Platinum and Gold divisions.
- All video streams of the the IHSA matches have been archived at PlayOnSports.com.
