Naperville Central finishes on high note

The end of the boys water polo season brought an odd mixture of elation and disappointment for coach Bill Salentine and his Naperville Central team.

The Redhawks completed the year by beating Lyons 10-7 in the third-place game of the state tournament Saturday at Stevenson High School.

But a state title continues to be elusive for Naperville Central, which has had state runner-up appearances in 2005 and 2008 under Salentine.

"Hey, you look at it one way and we're one of only two teams to finish the season without a loss," Salentine said. "Any time you get a trophy, I think you've got to be happy."

And yet. A loss to Fenwick in last year's championship game. A loss to Fenwick in the championship game in 2005. And an 8-4 loss to the Friars in Saturday's semifinal.

"Of course, we'd like to win the state championship - that's the goal,"Salentine said. "But the better team won this morning, so you try to finish on a positive note, and we did that."

Against Lyons, senior Ryan Stanley led Naperville Central (31-4) with 3 goals, and Mark Menis, Danny Tucker and Ben Reasons had 2 apiece. The Redhawks went ahead 8-4 by halftime and seemed in control as they protected the lead the rest of the way.

In the end wins and losses isn't what Salentine will remember most about this team, which featured nine seniors.

"They're a really good bunch of kids - either that or they've really got me fooled," he said. "I hope my son Liam (6) grows up to be like any one of these young men."