With construction already underway at Fenwick for “A Light for the 21st Century,”-a major building campaign focused on facility enhancements and infrastructure upgrades- the Friars’ blueprint may call for one more expansion: A bigger trophy case for Fenwick water polo.
Fenwick boys and girls water polo added further illumination on why their programs are the best in Illinois with a state title (boys team) and runner-up finish (girls team) Saturday at the IHSA State Finals hosted by Stevenson High School.
The boys team won a fourth consecutive state championship (seventh title overall since 2000) with a convincing 16-4 win over Naperville North. The girls squad fought valiantly, but saw their three-year reign as state champs abruptly end with a 9-8 loss to Mother McAuley.
Fenwick boys
If there was even a sliver of doubt about the Friars’ bid for a four-peat, a focused Fenwick team quickly quelled any unwarranted concerns by racing out to a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. After three periods of play, Fenwick (34-2) built its comfortable lead to 12-3 en route to the final chapter of a dominating performance all season.
“This is a great experience,” Fenwick senior Luke Baldwin said. “Every year, we’ve expected to win and we’ve done it. It’s gratifying to have our accomplishments meet our expectations. It’s a special group of guys because we all know each other so well.”
Against Naperville North (30-6), Chris Bonk led a typically diverse, high octane offensive attack with five goals. Team captains John Barrett, Tom Parolin and Baldwin added eight goals collectively, along with two from sophomore Brian Barron.
“We played well in all three games [at state],” Fenwick coach Dave Perry said. “We were able to make our defense and speed work for us. It was a total team effort. These guys mesh so well together. They just seem to have an innate sense of where everybody is in the pool.”
Along with the Friars’ fast break offense, goalies Kegan Daugherty (four saves) and Matt Napleton (six saves) limited the Huskies to four goals.
Fenwick girls
The Friars (28-3) will probably remember their run at a state title this year as being “so close and yet so far” in the aftermath of a tough 9-8 loss to Mother McAuley. Unfortunately, they also will likely never forget Lillian Cortes, a Mighty Mac player who ended their bid for a four-peat at state. Tied at 8-8 with 1:50 left in the game, Cortes scored the decisive goal against Fenwick.
Despite the obviously disappointing loss, coach Jack Wagner and his charges viewed the setback with a proper perspective, reflective of the heart and pride associated with three-time state champions.
“We could never really get into the flow of the game,” Wagner said. “We played hard and battled but just came up a little short. Give Mother McAuley credit. It’s hard to put into words how I feel about our team. They are a fantastic group that accomplished great things. I love them all.”
As she has played all season, senior Alison Pavlik was clutch in the title game with a trio of game-tying goals. Talented underclassmen like Lisett Calderon (two goals, assist), Morgan Bonk (goal, assist) and Stephanie Ovalle (assist) put in solid efforts for the Friars.
“At the start of the game, we didn’t really have our up tempo game going,” Pavlik said. “Overall, we had a strong game and did our best. Second place in state is pretty good.”
In addition to their impressive team honors, several Friars were recently recognized as all-conference players in the Metro Catholic Aquatic Conference. Parolin, Baldwin, Barrett, Bonk, Chris Wendt and Andrew McKernin were selected from the boys team. From the girls team Pavlik, Bonk, Laurel McCarthy and Erin Leary were named all-conference.
Perry and Wagner were both honored as “Coach of the Year.”
“The boys and girls programs have complemented each other so well through the years,” Perry said. “I really think these two teams feed off each other’s success.”
With a plethora of talent returning on both teams, the boys squad will pursue their “drive for five” in state titles, while a determined girls team will vie for a fourth title in five seasons.