After a riveting 11-10 win over Gunn High in the third-place game in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division tournament on Oct. 29, the Los Gatos High boys water polo team is ready to make some noise in the upcoming Central Coast Section playoffs.
The Wildcats (19-8) received six goals from Liam Amburgey and three from Mathijs Dirven in beating Gunn for the second time in three meetings this season. Los Gatos earned the No. 8 seed in the Open Division and plays at top-seed Sacred Heart Prep on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Even though SHP is a true powerhouse – the Gators are the only Northern or Central California school ranked in the top 10 in the state by Max Preps – Wildcats coach Davor Koret is eagerly looking forward to the section tournament. He knows if Los Gatos wants to be among the top two to three teams in the section soon, it will have to play SHP at some point anyway.
Gunn is the top seed in Division I so it’s likely the Wildcats’ victory in the third-place game put them in the Open. This is the first time in program history the team has made the Open Division, a supreme accomplishment in itself.
“It’ll be plenty of fun, plenty of excitement, for the couple of games we have left this season,” he said after the Wildcats’ 22-14 loss to Harker in the league tournament semifinals on Oct. 27. “I think what this program is missing is definitely some significant win. We’ve got some big wins this season, but in the end if it doesn’t reward you, nobody is really going to remember it. So I think clinching an Open Division spot, that No. 8 seed would be a great achievement, a great reward for these guys. Or going into Division I and competing for a title wouldn’t be a bad idea for them.”
Los Gatos learned some valuable lessons in the loss to Harker, things that should serve it well in the CCS playoffs. Remarkably, Harker hit buzzer-beating shots on three occasions, including twice to end a quarter. Few things deflate a water polo team more than its opponent beating the shot clock, especially on shots from long range.
“I just feel like we still need to work on playing the full quarter until the buzzer, not allowing an extra pass or free shot especially for the shooters like Harker which has plenty of them,” Koret said. “That’s something I really hope they’re going to learn from the experience. Some of the guys don’t have the experience of playing the big games and that’s what they’re getting right now so I’m proud of them.”
Two days after the Harker match, Los Gatos earned a crucial win against Gunn, rallying from a two-goal deficit after the first quarter to post an impressive comeback victory. Jacob Weber scored the game-winning goal with a minute remaining, and Dirven played excellent defense and recorded a steal to thwart Gunn’s final attempt to send the game into overtime.
Judging by the result, it seems apparent Los Gatos got better after the loss to Harker, which won the De Anza regular-season title. The Wildcats went 7-5 to finish in fourth place in the De Anza Division standings, but they’re playing their best water polo of the season at the perfect time.
Koret has been proud of the players’ desire and energy. He said the team must continue to play hard but also be disciplined, focused and execute to play to its potential against SHP. The win over Gunn shows the Wildcats are certainly getting there.
Connor Sullivan has been an impact player since last year and scored seven goals against Harker, including a highlight-reel one in which he fought off a defender draped all over him, spun to gain separation and rifled a shot from point-blank range to make it 11-11 midway through the third quarter. After stopping Harker’s ensuing possession, Sullivan scored on a 6-on-5 man advantage to cap a 5-1 surge and give the Wildcats the lead, 12-11.
However, Harker outscored Los Gatos 11-2 the rest of the way to close things out in emphatic fashion. Still, it was a game performance from the Wildcats, who showed flashes of brilliant play.
“I’m proud of the guys even though the score at the end doesn’t seem close,” Koret said. “Other than the last few minutes of the fourth quarter, it was a battle. Congratulations to Harker—they were the better team tonight.”
Amburgey has been a difference-maker at both ends of the pool, scoring and passing well on offense and being physical on defense. Lars Schubert, Ryan Madsen, Henry Bakota and goalie Jake Cannon filled out the starting lineup against Harker, and they’ve all been instrumental throughout the season.
Playing the likes of Harker, Gunn and Palo Alto—which are all ranked among the top 10 teams in the CCS—three times each has prepared Los Gatos to play its best in the section tournament. Whatever happens, this much is certain: the future looks bright as well since three freshmen and a sophomore play major minutes and a couple of other key players are projected to return next season.
“Pretty much 90% of the team is going to be returning next year with the experience I’m looking for,” Koret said. “So games like these, that’s what I think the team was missing before the season started and now they’re gaining some big-game experience they’ll need (to become one of the elite teams).”
Sports editor Emanuel Lee can be reached at el**@we*****.com
