Now that the swimming season is over, much of the team is once again heading back to the pool for water polo, a popular sport among OPRF athletes and fans.
Senior goalkeeper Lucas Puntillo, a three-year varsity starter on the team, is quick to show his love for water polo, explaining how “it has been a huge part of my life for four years now, and I love playing. Just being in the water with my best friends and teammates, it’s the most fun I have all year.”
After going 19-12 overall last season and 2-2 in conference, head coach Bailey Wendt has led the team to a record of 1-1 at press time, dominating on the road, winning against Palatine 12-7 on March 15. “We just want to get a little bit better every day. We focus on the task at hand, one day at a time,” said Wendt.
While Puntillo is blocking balls, senior Greg Huseby is leading the team to victory offensively. The four-year varsity player who has experience playing at Junior Olympics tournaments feels that “our season will go pretty well. We have a pretty young varsity roster, and a lot of guys who are new to the level. So there may be a bit of a learning curve with that.”
But with key seniors such as himself, Puntillo and Will Keyes, “Our leadership and know-how can help with some tough times that might come on early in the year.”
Wendt is thankful to have such leaders and players with unique skill sets. “I enjoy the attitude of all of our players. Everyone is humble and ready to listen to coaches, which makes my job more meaningful and impactful.”
With eight returnees and seven newcomers, Puntillo hopes to follow in the footsteps of past leaders and team captains, while finding his own way of being a leader. “I want to encourage the underclassmen to keep playing polo and in the offseason. I want to bring this team to beat Fenwick, to help encourage them to be better people and to be better players,” said Puntillo.
Beating Fenwick is a very strong desire for the team, especially after losing to them three years in a row at Sectionals. Last year, “We had a close and competitive game with our crosstown rival, Fenwick, to end our season. It was a tough loss, but our returning players use this as motivation to improve,” said Wendt.
The Husbey family has had lots of success in the pool. Huseby’s older brother, Brad Huseby, a 2023 graduate, was named to the Illinois Water Polo All-State team his senior year, and now his younger brother, Chris Huseby, a freshman, is also on varsity. “It’s interesting to see how (Chris) stacks up against guys I have been playing with for a while. Some older guys have had some trouble with him, and he’s competing with them, and it is cool to see,” said Huseby.
One cannot deny that it takes lots of character to be a water polo player. It’s definitely not a cake walk. The games have eight-minute quarters filled with aggressiveness. “I often experience a lot of guys who might be more grabby and kind of try and pull me back, which is kind of how I’ve learned through that and kind of get through the contact to draw fouls, which has worked pretty well recently this season,” said Huseby.
With Huseby, Puntillo and other key players on the grind, “I am excited to see how we compare to our perennial competitors,” said Wendt.
