Stevenson gets the better of interstate rivalry

It took Stevenson assistant athletic director Chad Dauphin only two seconds to come up with a name last year for the school’s inaugural boys water polo tournament featuring three schools from Illinois and three from Missouri.

“I was in my office at the time,” he recalled. “I thought, ‘What connects Illinois and Missouri?’ I-55 does.”

The “I-55 Showdown” was born.

It took Stevenson’s Patriots 18 seconds to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead against Ladue (Mo.) in the last contest of Saturday’s Second Annual “I-55 Showdown.” Pats Mitchell Sokolsky and Alex Shkiler each scored in the final minute of the second half, and Stevenson scored 8 unanswered goals in an 8-4 victory.

The win improved the Patriots’ Showdown record to 2-1 at the two-day tournament. Three other teams — Mary Institute Country Day School (Mo.), Oak Park-River Forest and Parkway West (Mo.) — also finished with 2-1 marks.

Libertyville went 1-2, ahead of Ladue (0-3).

“We were too uptight,” Stevenson coach Sean Wimer said of his squad’s slow start (down 3-0) against Ladue. “But we had plenty of time to get going, and we did.”

Shkiler, a senior, struck for 3 of his team’s first 4 goals and finished with 4 to go with his team-high 7 steals. Classmate Kyle Plotsky netted both of his goals in the second half. Pats senior Hasan Khan contributed the best-looking goal of the game, one-timing a Sokolsky pass to stun Ladue’s goalkeeper at 6:33 of the third period.

Stevenson junior goalkeeper Rob O’Brien finished with 13 saves. He, along with Sokolsky (4 steals) and senior defensive standout Evan Woodward, helped blank Ladue in the third period. Ladue scored its final goal with 1.15 seconds left in the game.

Stevenson, 5-25 last spring, upped its overall record to 9-4.

Libertyville (5-3) beat Ladue 8-6 in its first game Saturday morning behind senior Tommy Keefe’s 6 goals. Keeper Clayton Kullander got the win.

“Great competition all weekend,” said Wildcats coach Ivan Munoz. “The teams we saw have the skills that I emphasize we need to develop.”

Munoz was particularly proud of the way his crew responded Saturday morning after a 15-5 loss to Mary Institute Country Day on Friday night.

“What a difference in the way we played today after a tough one,” he said. “A night-and-day difference. That said a lot about our team’s heart. The team did a phenomenal job of putting that loss behind them.”