Warriors overcome slow start

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BARRINGTON – True to its nature much of the season, McHenry got off to a slow start against Palatine in its Barrington boys water polo sectional semifinal Friday.

After being down, 5-3, to start the second quarter, the Warriors found their rhythm and defeated the Pirates, 15-10. McHenry will play No. 1 seed Schaumburg in the sectional final at 1:30 p.m. today.

Some of the blame for the slow start Friday can be attributed to the unusually late 8:15 p.m. starting time and the Barrington Natatorium 12-lane pool, which is twice as wide as the Warriors’ home water.

“You look at it, and it’s like an ocean,” McHenry’s Reilly Shanahan said.

Shanahan led the Warriors with seven goals.

Today against a talented Schaumburg team, which defeated Rolling Meadows, 23-10, to advance, McHenry might not be able to survive an early deficit.

“We just have to wake up,” Warriors senior Jon Lesniak said. “I think playing a 1 o’clock game will be a lot better.”

Lesniak scored four goals and handed out a team high four assists.

Palatine, seeded sixth, played a physical game against the second-seeded Warriors. Despite losing one player to fouls, the tactic worked for the Pirates, who trailed, 9-8, at the half.

“We couldn’t move without an arm on us,” Shanahan said.

Phillip Lesniak, McHenry’s only sophomore starter, got his team on the board with two first-period goals. He scored four for the game and handed out three assists.

McHenry coach Craig Fowles said the improvement in Phillip Lesniak’s play this year has been remarkable. Phillip Lesniak often guards much larger opponents, Fowles said, but is never intimidated.

“The kid is afraid of nothing,” Fowles said. “He comes out bleeding and bruised.”

McHenry should have trailed by only one after the first quarter, but Palatine goalie Dan Summerfield surprised his McHenry counterpart, Dan Brucki, with a long looping shot that found the net to end the quarter. The goal turned out to be a positive for the Warriors, as it jump started the team’s and, specifically, Brucki’s play.

“That’s just embarrassing,” Brucki said. “After that I said ‘never again.’ I had to pick it up.”

Brucki allowed three second-quarter goals and then shut out the Pirates in the third quarter, saving several point-blank shots. Brucki said he will need that intensity the entire game against Schaumburg.

“The first half I was just out of it,” Brucki said. “I can’t do that against Schaumburg.”

The semifinal win was redemption for last year’s unexpected loss to Stevenson, also in the sectional semifinals. Several graduated members of that team were on hand Friday to see McHenry advance to the finals. That loss still has an impact on this year’s team, particularly senior Jon Lesniak.

“I play for those guys every single game,” Lesniak said.