WESTERN SPRINGS – New cast, same result.
An 18-6 win against Brother Rice in the Lyons Township sectional final May 13 earned LT’s boys water polo team its third straight trip to the state quarterfinals.
“We graduated nine seniors from last year’s team, and except for Victor Perez, every other [2016] starter was a senior,” LT’s Armin Korsos said. “It’s been an interesting adjustment losing all those guys and essentially starting from scratch. But it’s been a good adjustment so far. And last year we had two really good scorers. This year we’re more balanced.”
Korsos (six goals), Jacob Schoneman (four), Frank McCarter (three) and Perez and Phil Smith (two each) led the offense in the sectional final as the host Lions were in command from the start (up 7-1 after one quarter and 15-3 after three).
Cameron Cowan excelled in goal, exiting with a 17-3 lead and 4:04 left.
“[Going to state] is such an honor,” Cowan said. “I’m really looking forward to getting the feeling back, all the excitement [of state].
“Playing as a team is something we’ve been working on all season. Our team dynamic is what the previous [LT] state championship teams had [in 2012 and 2015].”
The Lions face New Trier in a quarterfinal at 5:45 p.m. May 19 at Stevenson High School. Fenwick, a sectional champ with a 20-5 win against York, plays Barrington in the first quarterfinal at 4:30 p.m.
“Our team did a really nice job at both ends of the pool,” LT coach Doug Eichstaedt said. “Great passes, great shots, and team defense – we were able to force a lot of outside shots. ...
“I’ve been really happy with everyone stepping up, finding their role on the team and understanding what they can do to help the team win. I feel like we’re peaking at the right time.”