Shamrocks power past Marian Catholic

Marian Catholic coach Kevin Kirk was all too familiar with St. Patrick outside hitter John Coen, the Shamrocks’ go-to player for three seasons, heading into Wednesday’s match.

Kirk tried to devise a game plan he hoped would, if not contain the 6-foot-4 senior, at least slow him down.

That chore proved easier said than done.

Coen hammered home 11 kills to lead the Shamrocks to a 25-18, 25-11 East Suburban Catholic Conference win over Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights.

St. Pat’s never trailed in either game of the match.

“He’s been their stud since he was a sophomore,” Kirk said of Coen. “He sees the court so well, and it makes it difficult to defend him. It doesn’t matter where he’s hitting from on the court. He makes adjustments. We tried to put up a game plan to defend it, but it didn’t work. He’s such a smart, skilled player.”

The Spartans (10-19, 3-6) put a considerably better fight in Game 1 than in Game 2.

Before the fans could settle into their seat in the half-filled gymnasium, the Shamrocks (23-6, 6-2) opened a 9-2 lead.

St. Pat’s took advantage of its height and maintained a comfortable lead that swelled to as much as 21-13.

Game over? Not necessarily.

To Marian Catholic’s credit, it mounted a mini-rally that trimmed the deficit to 22-17.

Matt Knott recorded a kill and service point, and David Holliday also contributed a kill to get the Spartans to within five points.

The Shamrocks, however, quickly regained control with Coen burying a kill to end the game 25-18.

“I liked the way we fought in Game 1,” Kirk said. “The second game, they smelled blood in the water.”

Not before the Spartans sliced a four-point deficit to 8-7, on kills by Knott and Keith Haines. Jay Hochstetler and Haines also came through with a big block during the rally.

However, St. Pat’s outscored Marian Catholic 17-4 the rest of the way, with Coen and Tammer Shehadeh putting on quite a show. Coen had a hand in the Shamrocks’ final five points, producing three kills and two service points.

For a senior-laden Marian Catholic squad, one match remains before the state playoffs begin. Kirk is hoping additional practice time, along with the benefit of the Spartans hosting a regional, will work in his team’s favor.

That might also position Kirk’s hard-working seniors, including Patrick O’Neill and Clay Robinson, along with Holliday, Knott and Haines, with an additional win or two before they graduate.

“We play St. Ignatius and have a lot of time to work on things,” Kirk said. “Hopefully, we can build up some momentum. We took Lincoln-Way East to three games earlier in the season. If we play at that level, with us hosting the regional, I know we’ll be fun to watch.”