CCS, NCS water polo roundup: Sacred Heart Prep reigns again, Mitty makes big comeback, Leland, Los Altos, SRV win titles
Boys
No. 1 Sacred Heart Prep 16, No. 2 Menlo School 11
SHP (22-6) still has not lost a Central Coast Section Open Division water polo game, a streak that dates back to the first Open title matchup in 2017. Clay Carrington led the Gators with six goals and two exclusions drawn, while SHP enjoyed balanced complementary scoring from across its lineup.
Oliver Marcin scored four goals and Gates Gamble netted two. Teddy Parrett had a goal and an assist, while Ario Hamrah, David Edelman and Charlie Baker contributed a goal apiece.
Andreas Profit and Hunter Coleman co-led Menlo (21-7) with three goals each. Lincoln Bott and Avery Kuziemko scored two apiece, and Calvin Barad pocketed one.
Connor Burks had five saves in goal for Menlo. Adam Afar had four assists, Kuziemko had three and Barad earned four exclusions.
Coleman and Burks each had two steals, with Coleman adding two blocked shots.
Menlo and SHP, along with St. Francis, are the only three teams who have been in the Open Division every year since its inception.
“This team showed so much character tonight,” Menlo coach Jack Bowen said. “It’s an example of what this team has done all season. That first three quarters was some of the best water polo we’ve played all year. And we played as a team who trusted in each other and played within our system – a system which we even tweaked in yesterday’s practice, as we only had one day to prepare for this game with our semifinal game Thursday night.
“We definitely achieved our team’s goal: be your best, both tonight and this season.”
CCS Division I
No. 2 Archbishop Mitty 13, No. 1 Serra 12 (OT)
Mitty pulled off a thriller on Saturday afternoon in Atherton, erasing a three-goal second-half deficit to force overtime and pull out the victory in the extra session.
Tucker Gavin led the Monarchs (17-10) with seven goals, Gordon Vernooy chipped in three, Bryce Rapport added a pair and Ron Pozniansky scored one.
“We fought hard to come back, led by our senior leaders Tucker Gavin and Gordon Vernooy,” Mitty coach Ben Vierra said. “Today’s game was a true testament to the power of believing in your team and executing on the game plan.”
CCS Division II
No. 3 Leland 12, No. 1 Harker 9
Leland (20-9) utilized a well-distributed offensive attack to dethrone top seed Harker (18-9) in the D-II title game. Jake Primmer had four goals, two assists and a trio of steals, while Louis DeScioli added three goals, two assists and three more steals.
Nate Singer and Charlie Jolissant each had two goals, Devin Cosgrove and Rishen Gunasekera both dished a pair of assists and Calvin Sridhara chipped in an assist and a steal. Goalkeeper Adrian Burov had 13 saves and two steals.
“Our team started out hot offensively and locked it down on defense,” said Leland coach Cory Murphy. “We followed our defensive game plan very well in the first half, and that’s what helped us get a 7-1 lead.
“Adrian Burov played amazing this game. A lot of players stepped up today, including our senior leaders Louis DeScioli and Jake Primmer, our lone junior Nate Singer, and three freshmen in Charlie Jolissant, Rishen Gunasekera, and Aria Sarhangnejad. We played as a team, we played for each other, and we accomplished one of our goals for the season – winning a CCS championship. Couldn’t be any prouder of my team.”
Girls
CCS Division I
No. 1 Los Altos 14, No. 2 Valley Christian 7
Los Altos took care of business in the D-I final against VC (15-12), winning every period. The Eagles soared during the third period, winning the frame 5-0 to pull away from the Warriors in what had been a 5-3 game at halftime.
Sophia Boschken led the way for Los Altos (23-6), scoring six goals and swiping six steals. Kylie Barkovich had four goals on four shots, while Zoey Shan, Annie Aliashvili, Kylie Parman and Maria Selikhanovich had a goal apiece.
Parman added two steals, and Alison Han had seven saves.
“We had a slow start to the game defensively but made sure to focus on finishing each possession and played to our standard in the second half,” said Los Altos coach Katie Tasman. “Kylie Parman and Alison Han led our team on defense and ensured we executed our game plan.
“Overall, I am incredibly pleased with how our girls performed and adjusted throughout this game and tournament. I look forward to NorCals and am grateful that our season can continue.”
NCS Division I
No. 1 San Ramon Valley 15, No. 3 Las Lomas 10
SRV (20-8) came out on top in a high-scoring battle of East Bay teams as seven different Wolves players scored at least one goal. Daphne Mundelius scored four goals and had three steals, and Izzy Richards scored three goals, adding two assists, two exclusions drawn and three steals.
Khamila Martel added two goals, three assists and six steals. Tatum Fullerton had two goals, one assist, two drawn exclusions and two steals. Olivia Anderson had a pair of goals, an assist and a steal.
Mackenzie Buckham scored a goal, added two assists, drew one exclusion and had four steals. Hailey Turpen added a goal and a steal.
Goalie Shelby Killingsworth had five saves and one steal. Zoe Holtzinger contributed a save.