Boys water polo: Redwood earns NCS three-peat with win over Alameda
The Giants celebrated poolside as they hoisted the North Coast Section banner for the third time in as many years on Saturday, and now Redwood High’s boys water polo program has a chance to do something none of the other championship teams achieved.
After locking down a 16-8 victory over No. 3 seed Alameda High in the NCS Division I final in Larkspur on Saturday, the top-seeded Giants (24-6) basked in the moment. Then they turned their attention to the next challenge, the NorCal Regional playoffs, which kick off Tuesday.
“These guys have put everything into this season,” Redwood head coach Rudy Kardos said when asked about his senior class. “We have a lot of talent coming back next year, and I’m excited to see what they do next.”
The Giants have a chance to make school history by winning the MCAL, NCS and NorCal titles in the same season. The 2021 Redwood team won the NCS and NorCal titles, but lost to Archie Williams High in the MCAL finals.
“This win means a lot because it’s our third in a row, but what’s different is now we have a chance to do something we’ve never done before,” said Redwood senior goalkeeper Owen Malone, who had 16 saves against Alameda on Saturday.
Malone was in the Redwood net for last year’s NCS title win over Tam High. The Giants were the top seed in the NorCal D-II bracket in 2024, and beat Harker, 14-13, before falling to No. 5 Clovis, 10-9, in the semifinals.
“Hard work matters in water polo. If you don’t put in the work, you don’t get the success,” said Malone, whose Giants were undefeated in MCAL play, including a 19-10 win over Archie Williams in the league championship.
Junior Isaac Nikfar and senior Tyler Mahabir led the Giants with four goals each Saturday as Redwood won its fourth NCS D-I title in five years, and fifth NCS title overall.
Senior Charlie Poser, who returned to action just before the postseason after missing most of the year due to a concussion, scored three goals against Alameda, while juniors Jakob Engberg and Maddox McClellan each netted two goals. Sophomore Jackson Monty also scored for the Giants.
Alameda had been unbeatable all season with a perfect 30-0 record entering Saturday’s showdown as the Hornets were looking for their first NCS championship. The Hornets had some success against MCAL teams, with victories over Tam High and Terra Linda earlier in the season.
After a tug of war to start Saturday’s contest, the Giants held a two-goal advantage after the first quarter. The Hornets started to lose their air of invincibility, and their cool, in the second quarter as they got into foul trouble.
The Giants seized on the opportunity, as McClellan walked the ball against three defenders for a power play goal, then Nikfar added a goal on a penalty shot for a four-goal Redwood lead. Monty added goal and Mahabir scored on a fast break for a 7-2 Giants lead.
“Our guys kept their cool and we played our game,” Kardos said.
The Giants came out of halftime ready to put the game away. Mahabir challenged Alameda junior goalkeeper Sebastian Barber on a counter attack to start a 3-0 run with goals from McClellan and Engberg, for an insurmountable 10-3 Giants lead.
Zach Dortch scored four goals, including three in the second half, but Alameda never cut the gap to closer than six goals the rest of the game against Redwood, a program opposing coaches this year have described as a “freight train”.
“Credit Alameda, they’re a good team,” Kardos said. “But they got into foul trouble and we never let off the gas.”