Fenwick turns away Naperville Central
Everything was going according to plan through the girls water polo state tournament semifinals for coach Jeff Plackett and his Naperville Central team on Saturday at Stevenson High School.
The Redhawks had handled Loyola 10-5 in the morning and were preparing to meet Fenwick for the state title.
And at that point things took a decided turn for the worse as Fenwick pulled away from a stubborn Naperville Central team 15-5 to win the state championship. Again.
"They've won five of the last six state championships," Plackett explained. "I mean, they're Fenwick."
The Redhawks kept things close in the early going, and Fenwick led just 4-2 after the first period.
"I thought we played a great game early on," Plackett said. "It sounds strange to say this, but I was most impressed with our first quarter, and we were losing 4-1, 4-2."
In the end Fenwick's precise passing and effortless offensive execution seemed to wear down the Redhawks (31-3). Senior Haley Nelson had 2 goals and classmate Colleen Stern had 1; freshman Abbey Kerth had 2.
For Fenwick (33-0), seniors Lisette Calderon and Morgan Bonk led the way with 5 goals apiece. A 9-8 loss to Mother McAuley in the championship game two years ago is the only thing that has prevented the Friars from winning six titles in a row under coach Jack Wagner.
In Naperville Central's semifinal victory, Nelson had 4 goals, and Kerth and Claire Fleming had 2.
Even in the aftermath of a disappointing state title loss, the Redhawks had fun looking ahead to brighter days.
"Our three seniors, Haley, Colleen (Young) and Emily (Wooten) are the best," Plackett said. "This year is for them. But think of the experience we got today - I got 14 girls to play in the state championship game."
Even Nelson, far and away the team's leading scorer, seemed to sense that Naperville Central remains a program with room to grow.
"I just think it's amazing to see how far we came," Nelson said. "Our girls were great, and they're only going to get better."