NT_041819

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the northbrook tower | April 18, 2019 | 37
Girls Water Polo
North shows progress in win against Deerfield
Michal Dwojak, Sports Editor
John Fournier is starting
to see the fruits of his players’
labor.
The Glenbrook North
head coach sees it with
each game the Spartans
play, and saw the best
when North took down
Central Suburban League
North rival Deerfield on
April 10 11-4. His team
wasn’t perfect yet, but the
Spartans are starting to
make progress, which is
all he can ask of his players.
“Our defense is up and
going,” Fournier said.
“Our defense is really
strong, we’re still working
on our offense. But we’re
seeing glimpses of what
we want to do and we’re
getting excited about it.”
North’s players needed
to make critical plays early
defensively as the host
Warriors applied pressure
Online content
For the photo gallery
from the game, visit
NorthbrookTower.com.
right from the beginning
of the game. The Spartans
continued to attack with
pressure defense and held
Deerfield scoreless for
much of the first half.
While the offense took a
while to get going into the
game, once the Spartans
scoring, they figured it out.
Elise Larson scored the
first goal of the game with
2 minutes, 42 seconds,
left in the first quarter. Ellie
Bosacoma added the
team’s second goals and
added another later in the
game where North scored
eight goals in the second
half.
“I think once we got into
the rhythm of the game
and figured out the way
they’re playing and the
Stars of the game
1. Ellie Bosacoma —
The Spartan scored
the team’s second goal
and added another
later in the game.
2. Elise Larson —
North’s shooter scored
the team’s first goal of
the game.
3. Erin Markowitz
— The North goalie
limited Deerfield from
scoring often early and
late in the game
way we needed to get it
done, we just got it done,”
Bosacoma said.
Fournier’s key to the
game and this season is
his team’s depth. The roster
consists of plenty of
underclassmen who are
learning how to play at
the varsity level, which is
why the head coach likes
to play in rotations and get
Glenbrook North girls water polo player Alexandra Gehrs goes after the ball against
Deerfield on April 10 in Deerfield. Michal Dwojak/22nd Century Media
them into the game.
His substitutions also
helps wear out opponents
and allows the Spartans
play aggressively. While
other teams battle to stay
in the game, North gets in
a new rotation that’s not
only helping in the current
game but also with the
program’s progress.
“I think our team is going
to keep on going up
and up from here,” Fournier
said. “We have a bright
future that we’re looking
forward to.”
The Spartans will continue
to develop with each
game, but games like the
one against Deerfield
don’t escape the minds of
the players and coaches
in the school’s last year in
the CSL North. While the
Spartans might not be at
the top of the conference,
they believe they can compete
with every team in the
conference.
They’re starting to see
the fruits of their labor.
“Every game I’ve seen
glimpses of what we
want,” Fournier said. “I’ve
seen glimpses of excellent
water polo plays and every
game, we’ve gotten better
and better.”
Boys Lacrosse
Spartans find way to honor program’s greats, past
Michal Dwojak, Sports Editor
Justin Georgacakis has
always known the Glenbrook
North boys lacrosse
program’s impact on its
players’ lives; he just
needed a way to show it to
others.
He drew upon inspiration
from the book “Legacy,”
which focuses on the
New Zealand rugby team
known as the All Blacks
and the principles the team
has used to build its success.
Georgacakis helped
build the program for the
past 15 years as a coach
and the past 13 as the program’s
head and wanted to
recognize the best to play,
which is why he created
the All-Green Club.
The club is a way to join
the past with the present so
the current players can see
how the program evolved.
That’s why Georgacakis
brought back 2013 graduate
and three-time captain
Matt Brown during its
intersquad scrimmage to
honor and hear from the
former Spartan and recognize
what he meant to the
program.
“We like to think that the
program is just one continuation
for a family and
even though Matt played
in 2013, why kids playing
in 2019 still have a connection
to him,” Georgacakis
said.
Brown met with the
team after the game where
he met with the players at
the school’s cafeteria after
they played against each
other. There, he talked
about the program and
what it meant to be a part
of the Spartan program.
The moment came to
fruition after Georgacakis
sent out a survey to alumni
asking what the define
the program. He wanted
to see what those who
went through the program
thought, and with the help
of “Legacy,” he created the
new club.
The plans are still fluid
for what Georgacakis
wants to do with the future
of the All-Green Club. He
didn’t give Brown a gift
but wants to award one later
this summer; he hopes to
send over a t-shirt signed
by all the current members
of the team. The honor
isn’t a jersey retirement
and he still has to think
about how many players
he’ll want to honor each
year. There will be plaque
that Georgacakis will hang
outside his desk in his office
with the names of the
honorees etched into it.
What he does know is
there is a lot to recognize
when it comes to the Spartans
program and knows
those who came before
have paved the way for
the current group. Seniors
David Wilcox, Connor
Doughty, Joe Harris and
Sam Erickson have all impressed
Georgacakis early
in the season and continue
to show where the program
has gone since its beginnings
in the `90s.
“Even before my time
as head coach, we’ve had
some extraordinary individuals
come through our
program and we’re very
fortunate to not only have
really good lacrosse players,
but also really good
people.”