McMahon makes most of opportunity

Pat McMahon fits the definition of a team player.

The Fenwick junior could have easily sulked this fall after losing the starting job in goal to senior Gerald Taglia.

McMahon waited patiently and finally was called upon to start on Thursday in a consolation-round game at the Pepsi Showdown.

Taglia, who has five shutouts this season, missed the game due to a school-sponsored religious retreat.

McMahon was up to the task, as Fenwick (6-3-2) and Lane Tech played to a scoreless tie. He was credited with 18 saves.

"He had an absolutely amazing game against a very good team," Fenwick coach Robert Watson said.

"He's not far behind (Taglia). This kid will do whatever I ask. He would even play in the field if I asked him to. He's always the first one to the field and soaking up information. He's a very good student of the game. We would be in good shape if some others played as hard as he does."

Taglia wasn't the only key player for the Friars missing due to a combination of injuries, illnesses and the retreat. Joe Shannon, Marty Reggi, Will Darley, John Ziegler, Kilian Frailey and Mark Finan were also out.

The Friars struggled more at the offensive end of the field at the Dominican Priory with only a handful of shots.

Matt Parilli, Matt Halm, Eric Jensen, Kevin Darley, Will Rigali and Matt Gallo stepped up on defense and helped McMahon keep Lane Tech off the scoreboard.

"Some of these guys have not played many minutes," Watson said. "It was great to see them step up and play as well as they did. We have tried to set up a rock solid defense."

Fenwick wrapped up the Pepsi Showdown on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Whitney Young with goals by Nick Munaretto and Will Darley.

Two goals by Jimmy Sullivan and one by Mike Stephany led the Friars to a 3-0 win on Monday over Francis Parker.

A much different looking Fenwick volleyball team showed up for the final round of the Hinsdale Central Invitational on Saturday.

Fenwick coach Eileen Asmussen needed to make some major changes in the starting lineup for pool play with five seniors taking the ACT exam in the morning.

Not being at full strength was reflected in the results, as Fenwick lost to York (25-16, 25-21), Oak Forest (25-15, 25-17) and Plainfield South (25-15, 25-22) in pool play to finish in last place.

"I would have loved to play those three teams with all our starters," Asmussen said. "A lot of kids who don't normally get to play had their chance to show something."

Asmussen reached down to the lower-level teams and called up sophomores Laura Schuler and Katie McLean, and freshman Kelly Brennan. Kelly had nine kills against Oak Forest.

"They were not intimidated or shy," Asmussen said. "All three did really well."

Colleen Quaid had a dozen assists against York and Michelle Danno had a half-dozen blocks.

Margy Acton had 14 blocks and Quaid had 29 assists vs. Oak Forest, while Kim Nelson had nine digs, Quaid had seven kills and Samantha Grams had four blocks against Plainfield South.

The Friars were at full strength for the playoffs and won the consolation-bracket title with a 25-14, 25-17 win over Oak Forest.

The top individuals for the Friars in the title match were Claire Liston (4 kills), Acton (15 digs), Grams (8 blocks), Michelle Danno (6 blocks) and Katie Racanelli (8 kills). Acton was named to the all-tournament team.

The Friars advanced to the fifth-place match after a 25-22, 25-11 decision over Oswego.

Liston (10 kills), Quaid (7 kills) and Racanelli (5 kills) paced the offensive attack for Fenwick.

The Friars opened their East Suburban Catholic Conference schedule on Sept. 11 with a 25-20, 20-25, 25-21 loss to Benet Academy in Lisle.

The statistical leaders for Fenwick were Liston (15 kills, 18 digs), Racanelli (8 blocks), Gams (9 blocks) and Acton (27 digs).

The Friars had no service errors in the three-game match.

It's a good thing the Fenwick tennis team isn't lacking for numbers this season.

The deep roster came in handy on Saturday when the Friars competed in varsity invitationals at Glenbard South and Maine South.

The roster was a little shorter than usual with some players taking the ACT exam that morning.

Fenwick was still able to place third at the Maine South Invitational with 17 points.

"We were missing most of our seniors," Fenwick coach Gerard Sullivan said. "This tournament is pretty much luck of the draw (because) nobody is seeded. It's a six-team tournament and two spots get first-round byes."

Colleen Bingle and Allison Seyfarth placed second at No. 1 doubles, losing in the finals in straight sets to Glenbard West. The Fenwick duo normally played three spots lower in the lineup.

Rachel Canfora played singles for the first time and placed fourth in the top spot thanks to a first-round bye.

Another second place for the Friars came at No. 2 doubles with Mary Kusper and Madaline Young losing in the finals to Glenbard West, which won the team title.

Deidre Duggan and Dorothy Watts finished third at No. 3 doubles, while Molly Chale and Adrienne Mannion were sixth at No. 4 in their varsity debut.

Julia Feldman placed fourth at No. 2 singles, while Alyssa Bazzanella at No. 3 and Haley Hudson at No. 4 both landed in fifth place. Hudson was also new to the varsity lineup.

The top seven runners for the Fenwick boys cross country team will have a tough workout on Saturday.

The running, however, won't be at the Oak Park-River Forest Roy Gummerson Invitational at Schiller Woods in Chicago.

The Friars will run from the school to Schiller Woods and back to Fenwick. The distance is in the neighborhood of 16 miles.

Fenwick coach John Polka has placed more of an emphasis on the team doing well at the Chicago Catholic League North Section meet on Tuesday, hosted by Gordon Tech.

"They're actually looking forward to it," said Polka about the training plan on Saturday. "It will be a good practice day for us."

Polka said Loyola Academy will be the main challenger for the Friars to beat in the North Section meet.

The Ramblers finished ahead of the Friars at the Peoria Woodruff Invitational on Sept. 8 on the state meet course at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

"They have a gap between their second and third runners," Polka said. "We have to take advantage of that."

The Friars picked up the first-place trophy on Saturday, winning the Argo Invitational with 55 points. Barrington was second among 30 teams with 63 points.

"Peoria was a race track," Polka said. "This was a tough course. We ran better than we did at Peoria. Barrington is a little down this year, but they still have two good front runners (which placed first and second)."

Tom Laser was fifth overall in 15 minutes, 56 seconds for three miles, followed by Jack Boyle (6th, 15:58), Matthias Connelly (13th, 16:14), Brian Barron (15th, 16:18) and Matt Miller (16th, 16:20) to complete the scoring for the Friars.

The Fenwick golf team won the St. Rita Invitational on Saturday with a score of 297.

The top four scores for Fenwick were turned in by Mike Sullivan (71), Ben Zahler (73), Matt Napleton (76) and Mike Kwasigroch (77).