CIF NorCal water polo roundup: Sacred Heart Prep wins with 1 second left, Carondelet claims national title
Boys Division I
No. 1 Sacred Heart Prep 11, No. 2 Miramonte 10
Sacred Heart Prep needed every second to beat Miramonte on Saturday at University of the Pacific as Gates Gamble scored the game-winning goal with one second remaining on the clock to give the Gators the win in Stockton.
It was the first lead of the game for SHP (24-6), which trailed continuously from the 5:28 mark of the first quarter until Gamble tied the game 8-8 with 2:25 left in the third quarter.
Gamble’s game-winner wasn’t his only dramatic late-game goal as the Gators tied the game 10-10 with 48 seconds remaining on Gamble’s third tally of the match.
He finished with four goals to lead SHP. Clay Carrington scored three goals and one exclusion drawn. Oliver Marcin scored a pair of goals and drew an exclusion, while Ryan Karr and Ario Hamrah each added a single score. Karr drew an exclusion as well.
Goalkeeper Murdoch Baker-Matsuoka collected five saves in net for the Gators.
“It was one of the most exciting championship games I’ve ever been a part of,” SHP coach Brian Kreutzkamp said.
Miramonte (24-7) was led by Tristan Tucker and Mason Tunney, who each scored three goals. Brady Hasset, Grayson Bloes and Brock Bliss each scored once.
Zavi Ryder recorded three saves in goal for the Matadors.
“We are extremely proud of our team,” Miramonte co-head coach Drew Holland said. “It was a special season for our group. They played great water polo in the NorCal final and throughout the entire season.
“Unfortunately, the final stretch of the fourth quarter didn’t go our way, which can happen in sports when going against a great team like Sacred Heart. They are a talented and well-coached team. We showed this year that Miramonte can beat anyone in the state, and this loss gives us more motivation to come back stronger next season.”
SHP finishes its season as the No. 3 ranked team in the nation, according to MaxPreps. Miramonte finishes at No. 4.
There is currently no state championship game in boys or girls water polo. Kreutzkamp would like to see that change.
“We are hopeful they will allow us to play NorCal vs. SoCal at some point in these state tournaments like they do in other sports,” he said. “It would have been great to keep playing against some SoCal teams. But until then, it’s great to win this one and great to win our last game of the season.”
Girls Division I
No. 1 Carondelet 10, No. 2 Sacred Heart Prep 6
Carondelet (28-1) completed a near-perfect season with a relatively comfortable win over SHP (29-3) in the NorCal title game.
The Cougars were dominant all season, routinely winning games by huge margins. They won each of their NorCal games by at least two games and all of their section playoff games by at least three.
Carondelet finishes the year with 441 goals scored and 154 conceded. With the NorCal title victory, the Cougars avenged their only loss this season, a 8-7 defeat to SHP in October.
They also finish the year as the No. 1 team in the country, according to MaxPreps.
Boys Division III
No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 11, No. 2 Clovis East 7
Mitty (20-10) completed a dream season by adding a NorCal title to its trophy case after winning the Central Coast Section Division I championship a week ago.
Girls Division III
No. 1 Merced 10, No. 3 Los Altos 7
Los Altos (25-7) was unable to pair a NorCal championship with its CCS Division I final from a week ago, falling to top seed Merced in a competitive contest. The Eagles led 3-2 after a quarter and 4-3 at the half but lost the lead after Merced (31-2) won the third quarter 5-3.
The Bears fortified their advantage in the fourth quarter with a 2-0 edge.