Scouting DuPage County boys water polo
Top local teams: Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley.
Top games: Neuqua Valley at Waubonsie Valley, March 18; Fenwick Dan Lynch Classic, March 18-20; Waubonsie Valley at Naperville North, March 25; Naperville North at Neuqua Valley, April 13; Waubonsie Valley at York, April 13; Neuqua Valley at Naperville Central, April 15; Naperville North Invite, April 10; Best of the West Tournament, April 16-17; Lyons at Neuqua Valley, April 22; York at Neuqua Valley, April 26; Hinsdale Central at Oak Park-River Forest, April 26; Naperville Central at Waubonsie Valley, April 27; Naperville North at Lyons, April 27; Waubonsie Valley at Fenwick, April 28; Hinsdale Central at York, May 3.
Top players: Kyle Apple (Waubonsie Valley, Jr.), Matt Bishop (Neuqua Valley, Sr.), Tyler Briesath (Waubonsie Valley, Sr.), Dan Cigler (Hinsdale South, Sr.), Dan Groch (York, Sr.), Nick Heiser (Hinsdale Central, Sr.), Tyler Hunt (Waubonsie Valley, Jr.), Sebastian Ostrowski (Hinsdale South, Jr), Billy Jacob (Hinsdale Central, Sr.), Austin Katz (Naperville North, Sr.), Aaron Katz (Naperville North, So.), Mark Krolikiewicz (York, Sr.), David Lesniak (Neuqua Valley, Jr.), Mark Menis (Naperville Central, Sr.), Pat May (Naperville Central, Jr.), Mark Olalde (York, Sr.), Joe Poletto (Waubonsie Valley, So.), Kyle Rickert (Naperville Central, Jr.), Mike Rooney (Neuqua Valley, Sr.), Ryan Stanley (Naperville Central, Sr.), Jacob Thompson (Naperville North, So.), Danny Tucker (Naperville Central, Sr.), Luke Walker (Hinsdale Central, Sr.), Jeff Walter (Neuqua Valley, Sr.)
Outlook: Whether or not it agrees to it, Naperville Central is going to be considered the top area team to beat this season. Reasons to believe? The Redhawks are coming off a third-place state finish. They have two extremely gifted players back this season. Their swimming and diving team won a state title in February. Reasons why they're not a sure bet? Nine players were lost to graduation. Inexperienced players will be thrust into key roles. Plus, there are other local teams that are also hungry for great success. "When you have nine players leave that changes things," Redhawks coach Bill Salentine said. "And that includes five starters, so we no longer have quite the number of leaders." What Naperville Central does have is all-state senior Mark Menis and all-sectional Ryan Stanley to lead the way. "They're good at any position in the water," Salentine said. "They're going to split time defending the hole and setting the hole and keep people guessing." Speedster Danny Tucker, lengthy junior Pat May, and lefty Kyle Rickert will be significant contributors for the Redhawks.
Looking to be right on Naperville Central's heels are Neuqua Valley, Naperville North and Waubonsie Valley. Neuqua Valley won 23 times last spring and with scoring-machine Mike Rooney back for his final season the Wildcats are expecting big things. "Speed-wise we should be pretty fast, which helps because size-wise we're not the biggest," Neuqua Valley coach Michael Bathan said. "Chemisty and speed are going to be big for us. We have no superstars this year even though Rooney is one of the top players. It's going to be a big team effort this year." Matt Bishop and David Lesniak will look to help Rooney and Co. pick up victories this spring.
Naperville North returns a few starters this year, including senior Austin Katz, who reached triple digits in goals last season. "(Naperville) Central is the team to beat," Naperville North coach John Blumthal said. "The other three teams in the area (Naperville North, Waubonsie Valley, Neuqua Valley) are pretty evenly matched. It's going to come down to which juniors and JV are able to step up." Sophomores Aaron Katz and Jacob Thompson, both of whom came off the bench as freshmen last year, will play bigger roles this season for the Huskies. Also, junior Jack Henderson could complement the scoring.
Waubonsie Valley doesn't have an easy road to success this season with a tough schedule, but the Warriors have senior Tyler Briesath returning along with juniors Tyler Hunt and Kyle Apple, and sophomore Joe Poletto. They also have a new head coach in Luke Payette, a familiar name locally who also coached at Carthage College and Neuqua Valley.
Speaking of Neuqua Valley, former head coach Martin Bell is now coaching Hinsdale Central. The Red Devils expect big seasons from seniors Billy Jacob and Luke Walker. "As a team we are fairly young and inexperienced," Bell said. "Our team has already shown great strides in improvement, but there are still things that I want to work on."
Hinsdale South took a hit when goalie Brian Blachowicz was injured playing basketball. Junior Andrew Piggott will take over in the net. Known commodity Sebastian Ostrowski is the Hornets' top player, while newcomer Tyler Knaut will try to make an immediate impression. Seniors Dan Cigler and Adam Jones also add experience.
York should be on the positive side of .500 this season with the tandem of Dan Groch and Mark Krolikiewicz back for a final season.