Sports
Hot Shot: Sandburg's Niemeier Honored as Athlete of the Week
Senior captain Erik Niemeier erupted for eight goals as the Eagles opened their boys water polo season with a 19-1 victory over the District 228 co-op team.
Sandburg's Erik Niemeier made a splash in the boys water polo season opener as he helped the .
Now, he is being recognized as the Patch Athlete of the Week, too.
Niemeier scored eight goals in Tuesday night's victory to help the Eagles start their season off on the right foot.
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"We got off to a slow start last season," he said. "This year, we just wanted to come out and show what we're here to do."
Sandburg coach James Caliendo said Niemeier's electric game did more than just rack up points for the Eagles. Caliendo said Niemeier's play helped the rest of his team gain confidence, too.
Find out what's happening in Orland Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"In our first game, I think a lot of our younger players were a little bit confused," Caliendo said. "Erik showed them that he is all-state candidate right away. As long as he's scoring, he's going to make teams focus on him and that will allow everyone around to be shooting as well."
Niemeier led the Eagles in scoring last season. Already, he is on pace to do the same this season. But he said he doesn't worry himself over how many goals he gets in a single game.
"I don't really count my goals," he said. "I always forget. But, for the season, this was a good start."
