At various points during the Los Gatos High School girls water polo team’s non-league match against Menlo-Atherton on Oct. 2, the Wildcats’ coach had his hands full—literally.
Don Appleton demonstrated the balancing acts of all balancing acts: exhorting his team with instructions while holding his soon-to-be 2-year-old daughter.
“There’s times my wife has to work an evening event and we don’t have anyone to watch her,” said Appleton, who is in his 19th season as the LGHS girls water polo coach. “But the girls always do a great job and the parents have been helping out a lot, too.”
An inspired Wildcats squad earned a 6-3 win over Menlo-Atherton, their second victory over the Bears in as many tries this season. Freshman sensation Olivia Madsen scored a match-high four goals, Martha Kang had three assists and goalie Anna Doepke recorded eight saves, including two spectacular ones that kept the Bears at bay.
“We’re trending up right now,” Appleton said. “The last couple of games we’ve played some teams that were a little more experienced, a little more athletic than we are. But we’re doing a lot of the right things and we’re making the correct mistakes for our level of experience right now.”
Los Gatos (6-8 overall, 3-4 SCVAL De Anza) had its greatest three-year stretch in program history from 2021-2023, going 76-9 in that span and making three Central Coast Section Open Division playoff appearances. Even though Appleton thoroughly enjoyed coaching that premier group, he’s been equally joyful, if not more, coaching this year’s team.
“The personalities on this team are a lot of fun,” he said. “They all work hard, they’re very coachable and I’m having fun. I’ve coached some of the most experienced teams around, and even if it’s the most experienced team and you’re winning games, it still might not be a great season for everybody because the kids aren’t enjoying it as much. These kids are really enjoying it everyday.”
Of course, having his 2-year-old daughter around has made the experience unforgettable.
“The girls wish she was at every game because they love her and she loves being with the girls,” Appleton said. “I’m loving it. I love it that the girls love her; and I love that she loves coming to the pool. She’s at a lot of games, and she’s at some practices; and we can’t keep her out of the water. She just wants to hop in so bad. Today, I even had to dip her in the water just to pacify her a little bit.”
Madsen is the younger sister of Ryan Madsen (Class of 2026), who was a four-year standout on the boys water polo team. It’s no surprise then that Olivia is making her own mark on the girls team.
“Olivia has been a huge impact player and is a blast to have in the pool,” Appleton said. “All she wants to do is work, listen, score goals and motivate her team. There’s no stopping her.”
Madsen and her teammates have developed a chemistry in the pool that shows on game day.
“Olivia pairs up and gets along well with older players on the team,” Appleton said. “That really allows her to be comfortable to take chances when she’s playing, instead of worrying about someone being upset with something that she’s doing. Throughout the season she’s proved that when she’s taking chances, she’s scoring goals.”
Seniors Rhiannon McColley and Danielle Doepke—twin sister of Anna—had the other Los Gatos goals.
“Rhiannon is playing some really good water polo, some really mature water polo,” Appleton said. “But the best part is that the kid is nothing but smiles. Whether we’re up by 10 or down by 10, she’s working her (butt) off and just enjoying playing ball with her friends. That’s the kind of stuff I really like on the team.”
The Doepke sisters have been key to the team’s season. Anna made a huge save on a M-A breakaway midway through the third quarter, preserving a 4-2 lead.
“This is probably one of Anna’s best games of the year,” Appleton said. “We already told her we were putting pressure on her to be handling shots from outside the strike zone. We were letting Anna know where the shots were going to be coming from and kind of put it on her to make the save and she did. She is getting way more comfortable playing out of the goal, which is why her stats for steals is going way up for every game. That’s something we’re going to need for this team because we don’t have a lot of bodies.”
Meanwhile, sister Danielle has also made an impact in a variety of ways.
“Dani is doing a lot more work at center than she’s had (to do) in the past,” Appleton said. “She’s taking on a new role, and we’re moving past the growing pains of learning a new position. She, along with the rest of the team, (is) turning the corner.”
Kang, who is one of four sophomores on the team, has been impactful both offensively and defensively. As one of the few players on the squad who plays club water polo year-round, Kang brings certain intangibles that have proven invaluable.
“I was telling her she was going to have to take a much bigger role on the team this year, because we’ve graduated a lot of seniors over the past two years,” Appleton said. “From the first game, she stepped up real big. She’s a goal-scorer, and her attitude is 100% different from last year: head down, busting her (butt), getting up and down the pool. She’s playing way better defense this season, and that was going to be a big piece for us, because we’re young and we did lose one of our starters (Maddy Choi) to injury.”
Speaking of defense, senior Anna Roos provided one of the most impressive plays in the match, blocking a shot from ever reaching her goalie. With her arm raised, Roos knocked down a hard shot from an M-A player midway through the second period. Sophomore Evie Lin also drew praise from Appleton for playing tough defense.
“Evie had one of the most defensively sound games of her career today,” Appleton said. “It was more than two steps above her normal level of play. So, today was a really good day.”
As the season progresses, Appleton is looking for the players to start finishing at a higher rate.
“Right now the biggest thing is just being able to put the ball into the back of the net,” he said. “You can teach 99% of the game, and we’re there. We’re doing the right things defensively, we’re doing the right things offensively, and now it’s just about finishing and that comes with experience. So, we’ll get there.”
