ST. PETERS — In August, DeSmet senior Michael Schonhoff is going to enter religious life.
But before then, the talented center has some unfinished business to take care of.
Schonhoff scored seven goals and added an assist Friday to lead the Spartans past Oakville 14-7 in the semifinals of the Missouri state water polo championships.
DeSmet, which improved to 25-3 with its 19th successive victory, will take on Parkway North (23-1) in the championship match tonight at 7. North defeated four-time defending state champion St. Louis U. High 9-6 in Friday's other semifinal.
Schonhoff will probably be competing in his final match tonight. He is hoping to move on to his higher calling with a memorable performance.
"It's been great, but it's time to close the book and open a new chapter," Schonhoff said.
Schonhoff was virtually unstoppable against Oakville (19-9-1). He and fellow senior Matt Stipanovich helped the Spartans take a 3-0 lead after just five minutes. Stipanovich, the nephew of former Missouri basketball standout Steve Stipanovich, added four goals and one assist. Nick Dodds chipped in with two goals and Aaron Adcock had three assists. Goalie Luke Normile made seven saves and kept the Tigers off balance in the first half when the contest was all but decided. Normile improved to 22-3.
"I thought our guys were ready," said DeSmet coach Miguel Figueras. "We knew (Oakville) would come out strong and that we had to be on early."
Stipanovich got the ball rolling with a lefthanded blast from close range just 67 seconds into the 7-minute opening period. Andrew Diemer tallied just 40 seconds later from the left wing. Dodds then pumped the lead to 3-0 with a quick drive.
Following an Oakville tally, Schonhoff capped off a near-perfect opening period by scoring with just two seconds left.
Parkway North rolled to a 4-1 first-half lead in knocking off tradition-rich off SLUH, which ends the season at 18-8. SLUH battled back to make it 7-6 before Martin Zenk and Marty Ruzicka scored to put the match away.
Jack Buelter had three goals and two assists for the winners. Bret Lundstrom picked up the win in goal.
"We've got four senior starters and they came out with intensity from the get-go," said North coach David Morey. "They played hard. Every pass, every possession counted."
