The State Tournament Experience: Illpolo Edition
This is my story in pictures and captions from the 2016
state tournament. I am still looking to add pictures/captions to the story
if I receive anything else that fits:
Started from the bottom...and you made it happen!
My view from the deck for the opening game
Even had my own table for awhile. Wasn't feelin' the
vibe down there so I went back to the 2015 spot with the crowd
So I switched up to this view?!?!?!
Much more fun to give away mini water polo balls...
...or shake hands with ballers like Loyola's Kevin
Manna
Finally got to meet Billy Wheeler from LWN
Honored to hang with Lincoln-Way East #EVP
Honored to hang with Lincoln-Way North #cheesefries
Only posting this since my shoe game matches our shirts
The colleges are checking in from out East...
(Brown University head coach Felix Mercado)
...and the colleges are checking in from out West
(Chapman University head coach Eric Ploessel)
I got so motivated after hearing Stevenson head coach
Sean Wimer talking to his players I walked a few laps around the balcony
before the next game
New Trier started from the bottom winning red
kickboards as trophies and now they are celebrating their highest finish
at the state tournament with an actual trophy!
It's not really a state tournament party without
McAuley!
USA Water Polo took notice of Shane Hughes' memorable
last goal and sent out this tweet
New Trier assistant coach Gerrit Adams is the OG of
Illpolo. The site simply would NOT exist without him. Celebrated his birthday
with a third-place trophy. Salute and happy birthday!
The crowd filled up for the state title games
Special thanks to Cole Jacobs and Scott DePuy for helping out on
Saturday. Here is an epic Cole vs Nick Walker pic
It has been an honor to cover the career of Mother McAuley's Claire
Mueller. She will do big things at the next level for St Francis
Brooklyn. This picture is epic...
This is like getting a presidential endorsement or
something
Another Illpolo selfie with Naperville Central's Kyle
Jackson & Nick Walker after they won the state title in 2016
Naperville Central's Kyle Jackson posing with my son's
little buddy and NC assistant coach Steve LeClair's son Austin
When you plan on winning a state championship, you get
to look chill like this in your team pictures
(Fenwick's Kelly Frumkin)
When you score the game-winning goal in overtime to win
the state championship you gotta class it up a bit
(Fenwick's Catie Wallace)
Or take the trophy with to Prom!
(Fenwick's Shannon Forst w/Tommy Martino)
Or take the trophy on a "Stanley Cup-like" tour of the
city
(Naperville Central)
They tried to stay awake but couldn't make it till
midnight
(Hunter & Mason Brown)
More pictures/captions coming soon???
