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2006 Boys Season Preview
February 27,
2006
1. FENWICK
CREDENTIALS:
Luke Baldwin's postseason performance showed that he should be ready to be a
leader for the Friars in 2006. Junior Tom Parolin has had a brilliant first
two seasons and could carry the offensive load for Fenwick. Chris Jones
ranks as the top returning goalie in the state and provides the Friars with
solid leadership in the net. John Barrett is a talented player on both ends
of the pool and should see an increased role in the offense this year.
Fenwick also should see solid contributions from players like Matt Meyer,
Dan Wolak, and Patrick Lloyd, among others.
CONCERNS: Mark Melnyk and Oscar Calderon are tough to replace, so
the Friars will need to get contributions from a few new starters in
order to remain on top in 2006.
2. LATIN
CREDENTIALS:
Jordan Himmel led the Romans in scoring in 2005, and he should continue to
be dominant on the offensive end this season. Senior Stephen Wickes also
assumes a leadership role and seems to make big plays whenever his team
needs them. Grant Wilkie should emerge in his second season as a starter,
while fellow sophomores Tim Wickes, Connor Allen, and Tim Barry could play
much larger roles this year. Sam Kettlewell gives the Romans experience and
can fill many roles on both sides of the ball. Goalie Henry Fyfe continues
to come up big for the Romans and has to be considered one of the top
returning goalies in the state.
CONCERNS: The Romans could miss the underrated Jamie Friedland,
who was versatile and gave them a great deal of experience in getting
to state the last two years. Otherwise, the Romans should be in the
mix for one of the top spots in 2006.
3. ST PATRICK
CREDENTIALS:
Joe Przekota will be tough to stop for any team on the offensive end and he
can easily be considered one of the best players in the state. Pat Szyska
should successfully make the jump to starting goalietender without a
problem, as he ranked as one of the top sophomore goalies in 2005. James
Ridgeway could be ready for his best season as a junior, as he has the
talent to score when teams focus on shutting down Przekota.
CONCERNS: Regardless of how well the Shamrocks play this season,
they will still likely have to go through #1 Fenwick in order to
qualify for state.
4. NAPERVILLE CENTRAL
CREDENTIALS:
Senior Kevin Bell leads Naperville Central on both ends of the pool and will
be in the running for POTY honors. Goalie Corey Stein continued to impress
in the Redhawks' postseason run, and he should be even better in 2006. Pat
Leclair had a breakout season last year, as he will need to build off that
and be a major factor on the offensive end. Ryan Alberts gives Central the
speed to outswim many teams.
CONCERNS: The Redhawks lost size and experience when Don Lambka
and Brian Luth graduated, so they will need a handful of emerging
players like Jadd Shamas, Tyler Olsen, and Drew Smith to play much
larger roles in 2006.
5. MUNDELEIN
CREDENTIALS:
Andrew Peterson steps into the spotlight in his senior season and can play
with the best in goal or in the field. Brandon Schawel looks to be the
number one offensive weapon for the Mustangs, while senior Sean Larsen
should have his best offensive season as well. Both Geoff Schott and Mark
Selle continue to get better with experience, and both can hold their own on
both ends of the pool. Either Grant Gates or Ricky Lucaks can fill the final
starting spot, with the other providing the Mustangs with depth off the
bench. Tyler Rayome has continued to improve in goal over the past two
seasons and allows Peterson to play in the field in almost any game.
CONCERNS: Greg Peck was the go-to-guy for the Mustangs, so they
will need to find someone to consistently score on the offensive end
and make plays if they plan to get back to state this year.
6. BROTHER RICE
CREDENTIALS:
Joe Frantz had a big season for Brother Rice in the net last season, and his
performance could be the key to the Crusaders staying in the mix after
losing a handful of key seniors. Sean Coghlan has an abundance of talent and
will have a chance to showcase that this season. Terry Moran was a key role
player in his first year with the Crusaders, and he should play a much
bigger role in the starting lineup this season. Drew Velasquez could emerge
as well in his first year as a starter.
CONCERNS: The Crusaders lost a ton of experience at the key skill
positions, as Nick Velasquez, Mark DiCola, Fernando Chavez-Cedeno,
Omar Vasquez, and Kevin McShane are gone to graduation.
7. LYONS
CREDENTIALS:
Scott Nemecek should be the featured player for the Lions this season, as he
proved he can score from anywhere in the pool at most times. Peter Cosentino
is another talented returning starter for Lyons Township, and along with Pat
Wilkins and Mike Castro, should help a physical team continue to improve off
last year's strong campaign.
CONCERNS: Mark Lakis was a talented and physical player that the
Lions will likely miss. They will also need to find a replacement in
goal for standout netminder Derrick Brace.
8. SANDBURG
CREDENTIALS:
Jon Christensen has been a vastly underrated player for the past two
seasons, but he should step into a featured role in 2006 for the Eagles.
Matt Niemeier and Frank Kuchta should also help Sandburg fight for a Top 10
position all season. Juniors Kevin Dommer and Bob Grandchamp will likely
fill two of the starter positions and fill important roles. Senior goalie
Brandon Petrie should see the most time in goal, replacing George Deckinga
in the net.
CONCERNS: John Kryzminski was a valuable player for the Eagles for
the past several years, so finding a player to fill his many roles is
important to Sandburg's future success.
9.
LOYOLA
CREDENTIALS:
Nate LeRoy is ready for a breakout season in 2006 and could lead the
Ramblers back to state. Bobby Navarre has a great deal of speed and should
also have a big year. Goalie Adam Weissert emerged in his sophomore season
and hopes to come up big for Loyola in 2006.
CONCERNS: The Ramblers still have to contend with rivals Evanston
and New Trier in order to get back to state.
10. STEVENSON
CREDENTIALS:
Kevin Alland is a tough defensive player and should also continue to lead
the Patriots on offense as well. Brian Mitchell has size and strength and
should be much improved after his first full season in the field. Goalie
Dmitry Simonoff emerged towards the end of last season and ranks among the
better goalies in the state.
CONCERNS: Alan Lagunov was a versatile player who will be missed
on both ends of the pool for the Patriots.
11. NAPERVILLE NORTH
WHY THEY'LL MOVE UP: Alex Buck has talent and speed and is a
difficult player to stop on the offensive end. Connor Handley
had a strong freshman season, and his increased development should get
the Huskies near the Top 10 immediately in 2006. The key for North
will be finding a goaltender that can keep them in most games with
rivals Naperville Central, Waubonsie Valley, and Neuqua Valley.
12. EVANSTON
WHY THEY'LL MOVE UP: The duo of Tim Fodor and Tommy Doyle can
cause matchup problems for opponents, as both are highly versatile
players. Tim Silkaitis provides speed to help on both sides of the
pool. The Wildkits will look to talented goalie Jack Kilheffer will
replace Kevin Paulson, while Tommy Grossinger and Ben Terry could also
see increased roles for Evanston.
13. NEW TRIER
WHY THEY'LL MOVE UP: Will Bartels has quietly become one of the
better goalies in the state. Rick Farmer and Charlie Gentles should
see an increase in scoring to make up for the loss of Chris Soper.
Mark Saleh and Chandler Harris will help on the defensive end, while
the Trevians will look for contributions from new faces Brendan Nyhan,
Sam Lopez, and Steven Hong.
14.
WAUBONSIE VALLEY
WHY THEY'LL MOVE UP: Grant Gucinski should have his best offensive
year , while goalie Matt Crittenden showed a great deal of improvement
at the tail end of last season. Mike Kozak, Kyle Drake, and Mark McCoy
should play more prominent roles for the Warriors in 2006.
15. LINCOLN-WAY EAST
WHY THEY'LL MOVE UP: Jason Ament...Stephen King...Even though the
Griffins lost a majority of their starting lineup from last year's
state qualifying team, the returning players should see the benefits
of winning sectionals and gaining valuable postseason experience.
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