SECTIONAL FINALS 2012
Dreams come true and seasons come to an end around this time of year. For
the 32 teams seeking one more win in order to qualify for the 2012 state
water polo tournament, Sectional Final Saturday is the biggest day on the
season calendar. Here is your guide to all of the action on Saturday, May
12:
Four of the eight boys' contests begin at noon, with state qualifiers
being decided LWC, Metea, Stagg, and York. Immediately following those
four matches, the sectional finals at GBN, Palatine, Schaumburg, and UIC
get started at 1:00. All told, the eight teams that will live to play for
one more week in the 2012 state tournament will all know their fate at
approximately 2:00pm. Here are the eight matchups/previews:
GLENBROOK SOUTH SECTIONAL
1:00pm (1)
Loyola vs (2) New Trier
The Ramblers have advanced to the state tournament the past two seasons by
beating New Trier in this spot. Can they repeat that feat for a third
straight time, or will NT have something up their sleeve on Saturday at GBS?
Loyola also won the lone contest between the two squads in convincing
fashion (17-8) on April 4, but more than a month has passed and New Trier
has several high-quality since that time. For example, the Trevians beat
Naperville North at the GBS Tourney in Week 7, while the Ramblers lost to
North the following week. What does that all mean? Probably nothing, since
you can normally throw everything out the window when these two rivals meet
with a state berth on the line. Expect a close one!
LINCOLN-WAY
CENTRAL
SECTIONAL
12:00pm (1) Lockport
vs (3) Homewood-Flossmoor
It's amazing to think that Lockport is the one seed and H-F is the third
seed when the Vikings beat the Porters on two occasions in 2012. Such are
things in the Lincoln-Way Central Sectional, where everyone beat everyone
during the regular season and some surprise quarterfinal results make this
sectional final feel like a toss-up going into this intriguing fixture. The
Porters do boast the better overall record (21-7) and finished one game
better than the Vikings (19-12) in the SWSC Blue division. However, if they
want to make their first-ever state tournament appearance, they will have to
find a way to beat Tim Caldwell's battle-tested squad for the first time in
three tries. Can Dave Hir, Dan Oldendorf, and company get over the hump and
make a dramatic first appearance at state, or will Kevin Kuchta, Zack
Peterson and the Vikings use the experience of their 2010 sectional title at
this very site to qualify for state themselves.
METEA VALLEY
SECTIONAL
12:00pm (1) Naperville North
vs (2) Naperville Central
Can the Huskies end the Redhawks' four-year run of sectional titles and
state tournament appearances at their expense in 2012? If things go
according to plan for Aaron Katz, Eric Curia, and company, North will make
their first appearance at state since 2007, a year in which the Huskies took
second overall. To do so, however, they have to get past an experienced yet
rebuilding team that still has plenty of talent to make things difficult in
a single-elimination game with one more week of water polo on the line. Can
Dennis Herron and Matt Reasons supply head coach Bill Salentine's squad with
enough offense to make it five straight state berths, or will North head
coach John Blumthal keep things going according to plan (i.e. state
tournament) after such an impressive (27-3) season?
PALATINE
SECTIONAL
1:00pm (1) Stevenson
vs (2) McHenry
It's quite amazing how much things can change in a year. While the Warriors
qualified for state for the third straight year in 2011, the Patriots lost
in the quarterfinal round of the same sectional as the sixth-seed. One
rebuilding year later and head coach Sean Wimer has Stevenson just one game
away from qualifying for the state tournament in 2012. To do that, the
Patriots will have to get past an experienced Warriors team that always
seems to peak at the right time no matter what sectional they are placed in.
Can McHenry make it four in a row at the expense of the sectionals' top
seed, or can the Patriots make their way back to state for the first time
since 2008, a year in which (ironically) Stevenson beat McHenry in the
semifinal round in overtime?
SCHAUMBURG
SECTIONAL
1:00pm (1) Fremd
vs (2) Schaumburg
First, you have the Vikings, who rolled through the MSL with a perfect
record and claimed the overall title last week by beating Buffalo Grove.
Next, you have a Schaumburg team that finished third in the same division
and lost to the Vikings twice in 2012. So why should the Vikings be worried?
Because the Saxons have been in this position before, where they aren't
expected to last this long in the playoffs and then somehow emerge as a
state qualifier when all is said and done. Can Schaumburg repeat that feat
again this year behind the offensive trio of Marty Kwiatkowski, Matt
McMullen, and Randy Carr, or will Fremd head coach Brian Newby use his state
tournament experience to get Andre Degla, JP French, and Ryan Helsdingen to
the next level with a state berth in 2012?
STAGG
SECTIONAL
12:00pm (1) Sandburg
vs (3) Stagg
There's a pretty good chance that Sandburg wasn't thinking that their April
18 contest with Stagg would be a preview of Saturday's sectional final.
After all, it took what was arguably the Chargers' biggest win in team
history in order to make it this far, as they stunned Brother Rice 11-9 in
Friday's semifinal round. Nonetheless, Stagg will be looking to pull off
their second-straight upset against a Sandburg team that beat them 14-7 in a
SWSC matchup as previously mentioned. For the Eagles, they have been
building towards another strong postseason run after a bit of a mid-season
slump, but they appear to be geared up and ready to better their fourth
place finish at state in 2011. The Eagles just can't overlook the hosts if
they hope to make it back to state...something tells me that they won't be
doing that after last night's results.
UIC
SECTIONAL
1:00pm (1) Latin
vs (2) St Ignatius
The tables have turned a bit in this year's contest between the Romans and
Wolfpack. The hosts have gotten the better of Latin in this spot over the
last few years, but the Jacob Himmel-led Romans come into this game as the
heavy favorites to get to the state tournament. Latin won the only game between
the two teams earlier this season and posted an impressive 22-6-1 record in
2012. Meanwhile, SICP had some early-season struggles when
not playing at full strength, so they've been clawing their way back towards
the .500 mark for the second half of the season (14-16). However, things
appear to be clicking on all cylinders for head coach Luis Martinez' squad,
so expect the hosts to make things difficult for the Romans to return to
state for the first time since 2006.
YORK
SECTIONAL
12:00pm (1) Fenwick
vs (2) Lyons
Maybe the logo and font for this preview should be bigger. There's just
really no way to express how big this game will mean to the state title
race. #1 Lyons and #2 Fenwick meet for the third and final time in 2012
after splitting the season series. The winner will be the odds-on favorite
to hoist the state crown, so if there is a game to make sure to attend
tomorrow, it's this one. There's no love loss between the two squads this
year, with broken noses and bloodshed the norm in the first two contests.
Fenwick won 16-8 at home back in Week 2, but the Lions edged the Friars 6-5
at a neutral site (Stevenson HS) on April 28. There are so many questions
with this game, such as how will the narrow York pool affect the play of the
teams, who previously met in eight-lane facilities both times? Will both
teams be at full strength after a long and physical season? And so on. In
the end, it boils down to who wants it more, which we will find out when the
ball is dropped at noon on Saturday.
Since the girls' games follow the boys' contests, the start times vary a
bit more later in the afternoon. The earliest games get underway at 1:15pm
(Metea, Stagg, York); the LWC Sectional final begins at 2:00pm; Palatine
and Schaumburg drop the ball at 2:15pm; GBS and UIC have the latest
starts, as the teams begin play at 2:30pm. The eight state-qualifying
teams should be known by around 3:30pm. Below are the game previews for
today's sectional final games:
GLENBROOK SOUTH SECTIONAL
2:30pm (1) New Trier vs (2) Loyola
The Trevians and Ramblers have met in a sectional final for the past six
seasons. Loyola has a 5-1 mark in these pressure situations, but New Trier
will likely feel much more confident coming into this game than in years'
past. The Trevians crushed the Ramblers 17-2 back in mid-March and earned an
11-2 win at the St Ignatius Tournament during Week 7. Loyola will hope that
Evan Swenson and Marta Considine can generate more offense for Rich Schici's
squad in this contest in order to keep up with the balanced offensive attack
that New Trier promotes. New Trier's Matt Wendt can call on the likes of
Alexana Astor, Erika Nothnagel, and Isabelle Baneaux to provide the scoring,
while a Trevians' defense spearheaded by goalie Hannah Caywood will hope to
limit Loyola like in this year's previous two meetings.
LINCOLN-WAY
CENTRAL
SECTIONAL
2:00pm (1) Lincoln-Way
Central vs (3) Homewood-Flossmoor
Since LWC and H-F split the season series in the SWSC Blue division, it
would be difficult to make a call on who will win the rubber match when a
state berth is on the line. The Knights won a one-goal game at the tail-end
of the March schedule, but the Vikings did the same in overtime on April 24.
It is very likely that this will be a closely-contested defensive battle
that will come down to the wire. In addition, which team's top scorer will
be tougher to contain, LWC's Danijela Jackovich or H-F's Rebecca Mathews?
The answer to that question might help determine the winner in New Lenox on
Saturday.
METEA VALLEY
SECTIONAL
1:15pm
(1) Naperville Central vs (3) Metea
Valley
Naperville Central expected to be in this position. They cruised to 18-1 and
16-2 wins in the opening two games of the sectional. They have plenty of
experience, they just need to be able to turn it on when a return trip to
the state tournament is on the line. On the other hand, Metea Valley should
be riding high after stunning second-seed Naperville North 8-6 on Friday
night. Lizzie Hollopeter's two late goals capped a 4-0 run in the fourth
quarter that helped the Mustangs overtake the Huskies and led to a
short-lived celebration, since they play again less than 24 hours later.
Still, the Mustangs should be trying to think more about Friday's nights win
more than, say, their 17-2 loss to Naperville Central back in Week 1. A lot
has changed since then, plus Metea has momentum and the home pool advantage
in this contest. Can the Mustangs ride their confidence and pull off another
upset, or will the Redhawks keep their focus in their quest for their
first-ever state title?
PALATINE
SECTIONAL
2:15pm (1) Stevenson vs (2)
Wheeling
It's a bit tough to gauge how Stevenson and Wheeling will match up when they
meet on Saturday; the two teams did not play in 2012, so the Leah-Malsom led
Wildcats will be hoping to be the type of wild-card team that Patriots' head
coach Jeff Wimer was hoping to avoid. Nonetheless, Stevenson closed the
season with several brilliant wins, so their balanced lineup will likely
feel confident they can handle the MSL East champions. The Wildcats boast a
20-8 record this season and controlled their contest with Mundelein en route
to a solid 9-4 win on Friday night. Can they surprise a Stevenson team that
might be looking ahead to playing at state in their home pool next week?
SCHAUMBURG
SECTIONAL
2:15pm (1) Fremd vs (2)
Barrington
It feels like we should be saying "here we go again" when it comes to this
matchup between the Vikings and Fillies. The two have met several times in a
sectional final over the past several years, with Fremd getting the better
of their MSL West rivals most recently. Will this game resemble last year's
14-0 Fremd shutout in the sectional finals, or this year's most recent game,
where the Vikings won a 7-5 battle? Both teams have confidently advanced
through the Schaumburg Sectional, so expect a tense game pitting the
experience of Fillies' coach Mark Markwell against Fremd's new skipper Ray
Roth.
STAGG
SECTIONAL
1:15pm
(1) Mother McAuley vs (3) Sandburg
The Mighty Macs ended Sandburg's state tournament dream in last year's
sectional semifinals, so they will look to repeat that feat in 2012, this
time in a sectional final at Stagg. McAuley also beat the Eagles 12-3 in the
first month of this season, so Amy Kopale, Clare Bryar, Vicky Arciniega and
company should be confident in a return trip to state. On the flip side,
Sandburg has been playing their best polo of the season down the stretch, so
they are riding a ton of momentum after sneaking up on H-F to share the SWSC
Blue title. The Eagles also have the benefit of pressure-filled playoff game
under their belts after beating Bremen 11-7 on Friday. The Mighty Macs,
meanwhile, won both of their playoff games by double-digit margins, so head
coach Vanessa Carroll will try to ensure her squad doesn't get off to a slow
start in the most important game of the year for both teams.
UIC
SECTIONAL
2:30pm (1) St Ignatius vs (2)
Lane
Since the Wolfpack and Indians did not meet during the regular season, we'll
have to revert back to last year's sectional final game, where the hosts
qualified for state with an 11-3 victory. Ignatius' head coach Mike Cashman
will be hoping for more of the same when his team hits the water. They've
only had one game to get playoff-tested after earning a forfeit win over
Juarez in the quarterfinals, but did get a test from Northside in Friday's
15-10 win over the Mustangs. Meanwhile, Lane will be hoping they can play
the same type of defense that helped them top Latin 5-2 in the semifinal
round. Can the Cassidy O'Connell-led Indians surprise the home team, or will
the balanced lineup of the Wolfpack be able to pack their bags for another
trip to state next weekend?
YORK
SECTIONAL
1:15pm (1) Lyons vs (2) Fenwick
And here we go again with another battle between the state's top two teams
in a sectional final instead of a state tournament game. Nonetheless, #2
Fenwick will be looking to avenge a 13-10 loss to the Lions in Week 6 in the
only meeting between the two squads in 2012. Lyons will be looking for more
of the same from that meeting, where Carrie Nacht, Kirby Kaptur, Lizzy
Kosin, and company were able to keep the Fenwick offense at bay and outgun
the defending champions. Both teams have impressed since the last meeting,
as neither team lost a game to another Illinois team since the Fenwick
Tournament. Can Friars' head coach Jack Wagner get the Barron sisters, Cara
Borkovec, Haley Wickham, and the rest of a team ready to defend their title
in the biggest game of the season, or will the previously-mentioned Lyons
trio make their way back to the state tournament after missing out in 2011?
