Boys water polo: Terra Linda makes history with NorCal win

As head coach Geoff Peters says, don’t judge the Trojans water polo program by the depth of Terra Linda’s pool, but rather by the depth of the team.

The fourth-seeded Trojans were able to get the ball in just about everybody’s hands as six different players scored in Tuesday’s 11-7 victory over No. 5 Woodcreek (15-12) of Roseville at host site Novato High in the first round of the CIF NorCal Division III boys tournament.

Terra Linda (15-6) is scheduled to play top-seeded Gunn (15-12) in Palo Alto on Thursday in the NorCal semifinals.

“There’s not a lot of pressure right now. We’re just trying to enjoy the ride,” said Terra Linda junior goalkeeper Sam Frack, who had 13 saves in Tuesday’s win. “Terra Linda has never been this far before. We’re setting new records, a new standard. We’re just trying to get as far as we can.”

Terra Linda is expected to open a new pool on its own campus within the next two years to replace the current facility, which is not as deep or big as many of the newer pools in Marin. Still, playing in a shallow pool has not kept the Trojans from becoming a major power. The team made history with its first North Coast Section Division II title on Saturday, and continued the adventure with Tuesday’s win — the program’s first NorCal tournament victory.

The Timberwolves tried to rein in sophomore Soren Jessen, one of the Trojans’ leading scorers this season, although he still put the ball in the cage twice. Terra Linda turned to freshman Cam Hellar, who scored a game-high four goals, and had primary or secondary assists on five others.

“What can you say about Cam Hellar? His water polo IQ is something to be marveled at,” Peters said. “He understands the game at such a high level, it’s incredible. We can set plays around him on offense, but what he did on defense tonight was just as important.”

Hellar was all over the Timberwolves’ top shooters, limiting open shots and forcing turnovers.

“Our defense was outstanding,” Peters said. “The defense paved the way for our offense. That’s been our team identity all season.”

Woodcreek got on the board within the first 2 minutes on a crossing shot by Caden Rutan, who had two goals. Jessen broke through the Timberwolves defense for the tying goal less than a minute later, but it wasn’t long before Rutan scored again to close out the first quarter.

The Timberwolves opened a 3-1 lead early in the second quarter on a shot from the top of the perimeter by Shane Carter, who scored three goals.

After that, the Trojans took control with four goals before halftime. Two goals less than a minute apart by Jack Middleton and Andrew Chong tied the score, before Hellar scored to put TL ahead for good with an outside shot that found the lane straight to the back of the net. Middleton added to the Trojans’ lead, 5-3, when he took a pass from Hellar and sent the ball bouncing into the cage on the near side.

“We started kind of slow, but then we picked it up,” Peters said. “It felt like the hangover effect from winning the NCS championship, something we’ve never done before. We weren’t cocky, but maybe we were feeling too good about ourselves. But then, we realized what kind of game we were in, and everything started clicking.”

The Trojans continued their hot streak into the second half. They took the ball down to the far end of the pool then worked the ball around before senior Leo Manwaring-Mueller got the ball into Hellar’s hands for a shot that went across the cage to the far post for a 6-3 lead.

“We are blessed to have so many talented players,” Peter said. “Soren Jessen was really more the center of our offense early in the season, but this postseason, Hellar has found a new level.”

Woodcreek’s Jeff Center scored to try to stop Terra Linda’s surge, but Hellar and Manwaring-Mueller scored a pair of outside goals to give the Trojans a 8-4 lead entering the final quarter. Jessen added a goal early in the fourth quarter to give the Trojans the breathing room they needed.

Frack showed his aggressive style in front of the cage as the Trojans allowed just two goals during a 14-minute span.

“Sam Frack’s confidence is growing during the playoffs,” Peters said. “Definitely, he has played like an all-star.”

Manwaring-Mueller and junior David Finney were hampered by foul trouble late, but Peters turned to some of his younger players, and they came through with impressive results as they helped keep the offense flowing.

Woodcreek scored three goals in a row to cut Terra Linda’s lead to 9-7 with 3 minutes left to play, before Hellar lobbed the ball into the net and senior Jee Davis scored from the left perimeter to wrap up the scoring.

Terra Linda converted on roughly 30 percent of its shots.

“The last two games we’ve played, we’ve been putting it all together,” Frack said. “Everyone’s pulling together. All the passing is great, and the defense in front of me is great.”

But the buck — rather the ball — still stops with Frack.

“I was finding where the ball was coming from and who their top shooter was,” Frack said. “Anything I could do to make them second-guess whether to shoot, makes it easier for us to stop the other team.”

The Trojans continue their dive through the postseason against the NorCal Division III defending champion.

“We’ve never seen these teams,” Peters said. “It’s likely the game will be another tough task. This time we need to start strong right off.”