Scouting DuPage County boys water polo
Top local teams: Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley.
Top games: Waubonsie Valley at Neuqua Valley, March 19; Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley at Fenwick Dan Lynch Classic, March 19-21; Naperville Central at Naperville North, April 9; York at Lyons Township Invite, April 10-11; Naperville Central at Neuqua Valley, April 16; Naperville Central hosts Best of the West Tournament, April 17-18; Lyons at Naperville North, April 28; Naperville Central at Stevenson Tournament, May 1-2; Naperville North at Stevenson, May 6.
Top players: Sam Alsip (Hinsdale South, Sr.); Kay Andressen (Waubonsie Valley, Jr.); Lucas Becker (Neuqua Valley, Sr.); Chedrick Chan (Waubonsie Valley, Sr.); Joey Dalesandro (Neuqua Valley, Jr.); Scott DePuy (Neuqua Valley, Sr.); John Dorrance (Hinsdale South, Sr.); Dean Driggers (Hinsdale South, Sr.); John Duggan (Hinsdale Central, Sr.); Matt Flanders (Metea Valley, So.); Logan Frendreis (York, Sr.); Cam Gidlow (Metea Valley, Jr.); David Holzer (Naperville North, Sr.); Ben Howlett (York, Sr.); Ian Ivkovich (Neuqua Valley, Sr.); Kyle Jackson (Naperville Central, Jr.); Jordan Jopes (York, Jr.); Ryan Kirin (Hinsdale South, Jr.); Bradin Krug (Waubonsie Valley, Sr.); Joe Lawrence (Naperville Central, Sr.); Jimmy Lee (Hinsdale Central, Jr.); Jonah Lillioja (Hinsdale Central, Sr.); Jarod Marrs (Waubonsie Valley, Jr.); Christian May (Naperville Central, Sr.); Drake McClure (Naperville North, Sr.); Matt McCormack (Hinsdale South, Jr.); Jon McWhirter (Waubonsie Valley, Jr.); Danny Milosevich (Hinsdale South, Jr.); Austin Mollway (Neuqua Valley, Sr.); Brian Portland (Hinsdale Central, Sr.); Matt Reed (Metea Valley, Jr.); Ian Reyes (Waubonsie Valley, Sr.); Keegan Riley (Metea Valley, Jr.); Matt Saunders (Hinsdale Central, Sr.); Danny Savage (Hinsdale South, Jr.); Simon Shatinsky (Neuqua Valley, Sr.); Cameron Steele (Waubonsie Valley, Sr.); Wyatt Tiscareno (Waubonsie Valley, So.); Joe Tomashek (Naperville North, Sr.); Nick Walker (Naperville Central, Jr.).
Outlook: Naperville North had a season to remember in 2014, finishing 33-2 and taking third in state. With only three returning starters for this season, the Huskies will have a different look. But coach Martin Bell is optimistic his team can continue its success. The core of the team are the three senior captains and returning starters Drake McClure, Joe Tomashek and David Holzer. With the Huskies graduating 10 seniors from last year's team, there are plenty of positions to fill and Bell is looking to juniors Mathew Magee, Jack Roche, Spencer Wallace, Charlie Calvo, Charlie Owens, Reilly McDonnell and sophomores Cole Jacobs, Nick Ziller and Jon Pettinger for help. "Our depth will be very important come season's end. Some see our graduating class last year moving on as a weakness. I see it as an opportunity for our players to shine and grow. There are a lot of players on this team that have a chance to show how strong they are," Bell said. "It is our goal to continue our three-year streak as sectional champions and make another run at the state tournament."
Season after season Naperville Central is a power in the area, and the Redhawks look to be the same again. "If we stay healthy, we can compete with any team in the state," coach Bill Salentine said. "We look forward to a great year." Helping the team try to improve upon last season's 22-10 record and sectional final appearance are senior goalie Joe Lawrence and senior Christian May. Juniors Kyle Jackson and Nick Walker are key elements of Naperville Central's front-court offense. "They work well together and are excellent tacticians," Salentine said. He is also look for contributions from juniors Scott Piper, Phil Emden, Eric Stablein and Jimmy Fox along with sophomores Matt Reagan, Philip Sajaev and Nolan Vaughn.
With just three seniors gone from last season, Neuqua Valley coach Adam Hoffer is confident the Wildcats can build upon last season's 18-14 record and sectional semifinal appearance. "We have a very fast, aggressive and strong team. We only graduated three seniors so most of our core players from last year are still here and another year strong and wiser," he said. "We hope to make it to the sectional championship and get a shot to make it to the state tournament." Goalie Austin Mollway will lead the Wildcats defensive effort with seniors Simon Shatinsky, Scott DePuy, Ian Ivkovich and Lucas Becker along with junior Joey Dalesandro providing the core of the Neuqua lineup. Hoffer is also expecting contributions from first-year players Troy Salafatinos, a junior, and senior Jack Angus.
First-year coach Jeff Davis expresses confidence Waubonsie Valley have what it takes to improve upon last spring's 17-13 campaign. The Warriors will do it with the help of its top two returning scorers, both seniors, Bradin Krug and Cameron Steele. Senior goalie Cedrick Chan takes the position over full time after splitting time last season and Davis will also look to veterans Ian Reyes, a senior; juniors Jarod Marrs, Kay Andressen and Jon McWhirter in addition to sophomore Wyatt Tiscareno. "We have outstanding senior leadership and being a first-year head coach, the boys are adjusting well to a new philosophy and eager to start match play," Davis said.
Although Metea Valley finished just 8-22 last spring, it ended the season on a strong note by beating St. Charles East in a sectional first-round battle before losing to Naperville Central. Coach Andrew Peterman is looking toward juniors Keegan Riley, Cam Gidlow, Matt Reed and sophomore Matt Flanders for a veteran presence and expects freshmen Ashton Howser and Andrew Eber to make contributions. "We are returning most of our team from last year and graduated just four players. But our weakness is we are a young team," Peterman said.
Hinsdale South coach Elizabeth Walker believes the Hornets have the capabilities to improve upon last season's 8-22 record. There is plenty of experience returning including seniors John Dorrance, Dean Driggers and Sam Alsip along with juniors Danny Milosevich, Danny Savage, Matt McCormack and Ryan Kirin. The Hornets have some new players that Walker thinks can make an impact such as senior Ikjot Wahl and juniors Matt Sternik and Vinnie Kochanski. "The team's strengths include our strong returning senior class as well as our junior class. The junior class is big and has a lot of experience playing on the varsity level," Walker said. "We are a smaller team than last year in number, but I am hoping this works in our favor and the men are able to build cohesiveness."
York coach Brian Drumm believes the Dukes, who finished 14-15 last season and reached a sectional semifinal, can use their athleticism to their advantage as the team gains experience. Seniors Ben Howlett and Logan Frendreis and junior Jordan Jopes provide veteran experience with juniors Danny Stumpf, Tyler McKenna and Tim Evely along with sophomore Parker Hicks expected to contribute in their first varsity season. "We have a very athletic group this year, but we're lacking in experience. We will only have two four-year players on our varsity roster in Logan and Ben," Drumm said. "There are plenty of juniors and sophomores ready to step up, though. We are hoping to see a lot of growth over the course of the season, to the point where we're competing for conference and sectional titles."
Hinsdale Central projects increased depth as it aims to improve after finishing 7-23 in 2014. "This year we have a whole new team design and feel. With a tough season last year adjusting to new key players and coaches, the whole team feel this year is to improve on that and become more competitive at sectionals," said former coach Michael Gibson. Gibson resigned shortly after giving this assessment due to work conflicts as he works outside of the school. Christy Brodell and Drake Kinney will now run the team in the upcoming season. Top returning players are seniors John Duggan, Brian Portland, Jonah Lillioja and Matt Saunders along with junior Jimmy Lee. New players expected to make an impact are freshmen Scotty Spinezola, Duncan Ferguson and Charlie Johns.
- D.J. Wanberg