Water polo: Archie Williams, Redwood boys set for NCS rematch

The storied water polo rivalry between Redwood and Archie Williams High will add another chapter this week when the Peregrine Falcons get a shot at redemption against the Giants in a marquee matchup in the North Coast Section boys tournament.

The Giants (19-7) found a way to end eight years of frustration against the Peregrine Falcons, with a victories over Archie Williams (16-7) in the regular season and in Saturday’s MCAL championship. On Thursday in a first-round contest in the NCS Open Division, the third-seeded Giants and No. 6 Falcons will go at it one more time. The winner advances to a matchup with No. 2 Miramonte on Nov. 9.

“The Open Division is challenging no matter who you play,” Archie Williams head coach Matt Swanson said after Saturday’s MCAL title game.

Both Redwood and Archie Williams bring impressive credentials with them. Redwood, the newly-crowned MCAL champion, won the NCS Division I title in 2021, and has been rewarded with a promotion to the Open Division.

Archie Williams’ seniors have been looking forward to a rematch with De La Salle, the 2021 Open Division champion, which knocked the Falcons out, 12-8, in the semifinals. De La Salle returns as the Open Division’s top seed.

The Tam boys (17-8) were granted a first-round bye as the second seed in the Division I bracket, and will face either No. 7 Vintage or No. 10 Castro Valley on Friday. The Hawks didn’t face Castro Valley this season, but did earn a 12-9 win over Vintage in September. As the third seed last season, Tam advanced to the Division I semifinals before falling to Acalanes.

Four Marin teams help fill the Division II bracket, with No. 1 Terra Linda (11-6) and No. 2 Marin Academy (10-5) earning first-round byes. San Marin (12-9) and Novato (10-12) will be featured in a Wednesday doubleheader, with games at 6:15 and 7:30 p.m., hosted by Marin Academy.

No. 7 San Marin will have to get past No. 10 Napa (14-6) to earn a quarterfinal matchup with Marin Academy. The Mustangs defeated Napa, 12-8, in tournament play in September.

No. 6 Novato will face No. 11 Lick-Wilmerding (14-7) in a first-round contest, with the winner scheduled to play No. 3 Piedmont in the quarterfinals.

On the girls side, the MCAL-champion Falcons (16-7) were rewarded with the fifth seed and a first-round matchup with No. 4 Carondelet (21-3) on Thursday in the Open Division. It’s a tough road for Archie Williams, as the winner of that contest goes on to challenge No. 1 seed Miramonte in the semifinals.

Redwood, as the third seed in the Division I bracket, receives a first-round bye. The Giants (17-9) will face either No. 6 Liberty or No. 11 College Park in the quarterfinals.

Las Lomas stands as the top seed in Division I on the other side of the bracket, with No. 2 Amador Valley as a potential semifinal opponent for the Giants. Redwood suffered narrow losses to the top two seeds — 10-9 to Las Lomas and 6-5 to Amador Valley.

Marin teams earned three of the top four seeds in the Division II bracket, with Marin Catholic (13-7) at No. 1. After a first-round bye, the Wildcats will face either No. 8 Encinal or No. 9 Moreau Catholic in the quarterfinals.

No. 3 Terra Linda (12-9) awaits the winner of a first-round matchup between No. 6 Alameda and No. 9 Vintage. The Trojans defeated the Crushers, 15-7, in tournament play in September, but did not face Alameda this season.

Marin Academy (18-5) earned the fourth seed and a first-round bye, but will have to contend with either No. 5 Bishop O’Dowd or No. 12 El Cerrito in the quarterfinals.