Illpolo Fest 2015 Game Recaps
By Aaron Brown
The second edition of the
Illpolo Fest took place on July 21 at York High School, with three
"feature" games in a unique event that included 64 players from 36
different high school teams in Illinois. Here is the on-the-deck report as
best as I can remember it:
GAME #1
Elmhurst Water Polo Club 13 Illpolo Future Stars 7
Danny Stumpf recorded 5 goals and Wally Kleinfeldt scored 4 times as the
hosts wrapped up their summer season with a 13-7 victory over Illpolo.
Elmhurst jumped out to a 7-1 lead by the second quarter before the Illpolo
team used a pair of 3-0 runs to cut the lead to 10-6 by the end of the
third period. Stumpf scored twice and Jordan Jopes sealed the win with a
goal in the final period as EWPC pulled away for the win.
Jopes scored 2 times, both John Blum and Luke Nowak added one score and
Tyler McKenna made 15 saves in the victory. Tim Evely also made a big
impact on both ends of the pool for EWPC.
Rebecca Mathews recorded 4 goals while Pat Melaniphy, Peter Dales and Zach
Elias each scored once in the loss. Lucas Santefort blocked 11 shots while
the trio of Jimmy Heard, Mike Brennan and Steven Howell also played key
roles for the losing side.
GAME #2
Illpolo All-Stars (White) 14 Illpolo All-Stars (Red) 8
Cassidy DeGraff scored 5 goals, Jillian Schultz netted 4 scores and Betsy
Zanocco blocked 13 shots as the Illpolo White team defeated Illpolo Red
14-8.
The teams stayed even throughout most of the first half before DeGraff put
White ahead 6-5 midway through the second quarter. Katherine Rogers added
another goal in the final minute of the half for White, but Emily Rodgers
found the back of the cage with seven seconds left before the break to
make the score 6-5 at halftime.
DeGraff and Lizzie Hardt scored on consecutive possessions to start the
second half before Zoe Salafatinos brought the teams back within one less
than one minute later.
The White team caught fire from there, as Schultz started and finished a
5-0 run that also included two scores by DeGraff and a tally for Mae Van
Beest. Kim Bernhard ended the run with a goal to cut the lead to 13-7, but
Schultz put the icing on the cake with a late goal for the White squad.
Rogers added 2 goals while Hardt, Van Beest and Maddie Schultz all scored
once in the victory. Haley Gibbs, Brianna Breason and Alyssa Hollander
made major contributions on both ends of the pool for the winning side.
Bernhard, Rodgers and Salafatinos each scored 2 times while Kimela Srey
added one tally in the losing effort.
Alli Hansen, Cailey Davern, Emily Mathews and Maria Campbell provided
standout performances while
Issi French registered 10 blocks for the Red team.
GAME #3
Illpolo All-Stars (Red) 17 Illpolo All-Stars (White) 16
Mark Hallman, Nolan Roberts, Simon Shatinsky and Zach Roper each scored 2
goals while Mike Brennan and Jake Burke combined to stop 10 shots as
Illpolo Red defeated Illpolo White 17-16 in a shootout finish to end the
event.
The game needed "bonus" water polo after the White team tied the game at
the end of regulation. Shane Hughes' attempt from the left side of the
pool hit the crossbar but the carom fell right into the path of Danny
Farmer, who tied the game as the horn sounded to send the game to extra
time.
In the shootout, nine straight goals were scored before UCLA's Matt Farmer
tried a surprising backhand attempt from the penalty spot that Brennan
denied in his final game as a goaltender to seal the win for Red.
Mark Alvarado, Pat Burke, Scott DePuy and Steven Howell each scored once
in the win for Red. Drake McClure, Eric Sutton, Jordan Jopes and Luke
Landiak
also made major contributions on both ends of the pool for the victors.
Farmer,
Hughes and
Peter Dales each scored 2 times while Pat Melaniphy and Will Skowron
teamed up to stop 15 shots in the loss. Ivan Ariza, Mitch Zieler, Noah
Groll,
Zach Elias and
Wally Kleinfeldt all made a major impact for the White team.
