District 228 Boys' Water Polo Team Takes 1st Place at Invitational

Bremen District 228 Water Polo Coach Mark Kircher announced that the District 228 Boys’ Water Polo Team took First Place at the District 218 Water Polo Invitational held at Shepherd High School. According to Kircher, “We beat the District 218 coop 9-8 Friday night, then went on a tear beating Taft 15-6, Simeon 17-8, and taking down Jones-Payton 18-9 in the championship.” The other District 228 Water polo coaches are Mark Gonzales and Zach Crim.

The team has many strengths, according to Kircher, but their main strength is determination. He said, “The boys’ strength this season is definitely their determination. They are a group of boys that want to win. We were a very young team last year and we didn’t lose any athletes to graduation. We also didn’t win any games, and the boys were obviously distraught about that. So they have come out with a vengeance this year to prove to everyone that last year does not identify who they are. I feel earning respect was an obstacle they overcame this year. Many teams did not take them seriously and they have paid the price for it this year. I think we will for sure turn some heads at sectionals this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if we made it to the semis and really announce our presence as an up-and-coming program that shouldn’t be taken lightly,” Kircher said.

Oak Forest High School Senior Mina Hanalla said that the comradery of the team is one of the most important qualities of a water polo player. “Coach K always says to hang out with each other because if you understand what your friends think, it will help on the water polo field,” said Hanalla.

Oak Forest High School Senior Zack Zdanavicius agrees. He said, “Communication is important in the pool. You have to be on the same wavelength as your teammates so that you can understand each other.”

Oak Forest High School Junior Jake Gillund added, “You don’t know where your teammates are because you are in the pool [defending yourself against your opponents]. So teamwork and communication is important. You also have to be hardworking. You can’t think that someone is going to do something—all of the weight is on you to do something.”

Hanalla added, “In water polo, you have to have endurance like a marathoner, aggressiveness like a hockey player, and the strategy of the chess player, because you always have to think two moves ahead in the game.”

The Oak Forest High School Water Polo team members are: Mina Hanalla, Zack Zdanavicius, Alex Holewa, Jake Gillund, Nick Adams, Nick Snow, Mike Barry, Tyler Vrba, and Pat Winkle.