BACK-TO-BACK!!!
Defense wins championships, the saying goes. But ask any of the 500+ fans that watched the 2012 state final, and they will tell you that there is an additional ingredient to Bellevue’s championship recipe: Reed Hendrickson. Behind a suffocating team defense and a phenomenal performance from its senior goalkeeper, the Bellevue Wolverines defeated the Curtis Vikings 7-3 on Saturday night to capture the 2012 Washington State Boys High School Water Polo championship and defend their state title.
Despite its status as a perennial powerhouse, Curtis entered the state tournament with relatively little fanfare. But after dismantling top-seeded Mercer Island in the semifinals, the Vikings put the Wolverines and the rest of the state on notice: it would take a major defensive effort to stop their high-powered offense.
On Curtis’ first possession, Bellevue’s defense showed that it was up to the task. Sophomore Marco Stanchi stole the ball from the point, drew an immediate ejection, and found junior George French streaking up the pool. French took care of the rest, burying a nearside shot past Curtis goalie Griffin Collins.
Soon after, the Reed Hendrickson Show began. On consecutive Curtis possessions, Hendrickson made two unbelievable saves: first on a 2-on-1 counterattack; second on a point blank shot from two-meters after a defensive breakdown left a Curtis shooter unguarded in front of the cage.
Midway through the first quarter, the French-Stanchi connection struck again. This time, French floated a beautiful overpass to Stanchi, who flipped the ball over the goalie’s head to put Bellevue up 2-0. The Wolverines threatened their next time down the pool but were unable to convert a 1-on-0 breakaway.
With 1:30 left in the first quarter, Hendrickson made his third spectacular save of the evening, denying Curtis senior Nolan Peterson from point blank range after Peterson spun Bellevue’s two-meter defender. On Curtis’ first possession of the second quarter, Hendrickson continued his amazing work between the pipes. After Curtis senior Porter Sale elevated and fired a cross-cage laser, Hendrickson lunged to his right and made a two-handed block, causing the crowd to erupt with chants of “Reed”.
Midway through the second quarter, the Wolverines missed their second golden scoring opportunity. French drew a 5-meter penalty shot on a counterattack. But during the free shot, a Curtis player illegally kicked French’s hip, causing the shot to sail over the cage. Adding insult to error, French was subsequently ejected for arguing the missed call.
Despite the unfortunate turn of events, Bellevue’s defense dominated the remainder of the second quarter. Junior Scott Bowers, who missed the quarterfinal and semifinal games due to illness, had steals on four straight Curtis possessions. Then, with 0:46 remaining in the first half, Stanchi broke free on a counterattack and buried a skip shot to build a 3-0 halftime lead.
The third quarter began much like the second quarter for the Wolverines: two blown 1-on-0 counterattacks were offset by Hendrickson’s brilliance in goal. Near the 4:00 minute mark, Stanchi struck again, intercepting a cross-pass, driving the length of the pool and drawing an ejection that led to freshman Zack Rossman’s man-up goal from the 6.
Up 4-0 midway through the third, Stanchi delivered a crushing blow to a Viking squad that was already on the ropes. After receiving a perfect set pass from senior Arlen Hughes, Stanchi spun his defender with his right hand while cradling the ball with his left hand. Sensing an oncoming crash from two defenders, Stanchi switched the ball to his right hand and backhand flipped the ball over the goalie’s head and into the goal, sending the crowd into a wild frenzy.
Late in the third quarter, junior Silas Clapham field blocked a Curtis man-up shot attempt out of bounds to preserve the shut-out.
Early in the fourth quarter, Curtis finally broke through. A Bellevue defensive breakdown left Curtis senior Chandler Arrington open in front of the cage, and he buried a shot to put the Vikings on the board. On Bellevue’s next possession, a bad entry pass led to a Viking 3-on-2 counter. With Curtis suddenly one shot away from narrowing the deficit to 3, Hendrickson came up with his best save of the night. Rising high out of the water, he blocked a close-range attempt and reached back to scoop the spinning ball away from the goal line. He then turned around and fired a perfect outlet to Stanchi, who found French streaking down the middle of the pool with a man on his back. Though French’s first attempt was blocked, French grabbed the rebound and nailed a sweep shot to put Bellevue ahead 6-1. A few possessions later, Bellevue scored its seventh and final goal after Stanchi’s ejection drawn at 2-meters led to a 5M drawn by Hughes. Unlike Bellevue’s first five-meter penalty shot, Stanchi received enough space to bury it and put the Wolverines up 7-1.
Curtis mounted a late comeback, scoring on an open goal after Hendrickson was ejected for delay of game. The Vikings added a goal with 20 seconds remaining, but it was too little, too late. With the 7-3 win, Bellevue captured its second straight state title and second in school history.
Six Wolverines earned All-State honors. Stanchi was named First-Team after leading the Wolverines with 25 goals in the tournament and four goals, two assists, three ejections drawn and six steals in the championship. George French (two goals, one assist, two ejections drawn and one steal in the championship) joined Stanchi on the First-Team. Juniors Scott Bowers (five steals in the championship) and Stuart McClelland earned Second-Team honors. Sophomore driver Liam Naughton earned Honorable Mention. For his incredible performances throughout the tournament, senior captain Reed Hendrickson was named First-Team All State and the State Defensive MVP award for the second-year in a row.
Final Standings:
1st – Bellevue
2nd – Curtis
3rd – Newport
4th – Mercer Island
5th – Auburn-Riverside
6th – Auburn-Mountainview
7th – Enumclaw
8th – Puyallup
9th – Lakes
10th – Peninsula
11th – Emerald Ridge
12th – Bainbridge Island
First Team All-State
Reed Hendrickson (G) – Bellevue
Marco Stanchi – Bellevue
George French – Bellevue
Porter Sale – Curtis
Nolan Peterson – Curtis
Lee Griffin – Newport
Sam Peterson – Mercer Island
Second Team All-State
Scott Bowers – Bellevue
Stuart McClelland – Bellevue
Chandler Arrington – Curtis
Griffin Collins (G) – Curtis
Will Helmer – Newport
Mack Berry (G) – Newport
David Rudokas – Mercer Island
Honorable Mention All-State
Liam Naughton – Bellevue
Giles McIntire – Curtis
Dimitri Popoff – Newport
Connor Gullstad – Mercer Island
Thomas Henline – Auburn-Riverside
Matty Benabid – Auburn-Riverside
Adam Benabid – Auburn-Riverside
Hunter Arnold – Auburn-Mountainview
Brady Gardner – Auburn-Mountainview
Bennon VanHoof – Enumclaw
Thomas Petersen – Enumclaw
Aaron Beck – Puyallup
MVP Offense
Lee Griffin – Newport
MVP Defense
Reed Hendrickson (G) – Bellevue
Coach of the Year
Farrah Kunkel – Newport
Click here for State Championship photos (courtesy of Tom Ellis Photography)
