When Davor Koret took over as head coach of the Los Gatos High boys water polo team six years ago, his biggest goal for the program was to rise in the ranks and win the Santa Clara Valley League De Anza Division championship and with that a berth into the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs.
As far as he knows, the Wildcats have never won an A division title. Koret is cautiously optimistic that Los Gatos can make history this season.
“Realistically, we think we can if everybody stays healthy,” he said. “These boys are very coachable, they’re behaving well, they’re doing good in school, so we’re hoping for the best. You always want to dream and then go after your dream.”
The Wildcats return some key players off a team that finished 7-5 in the rugged De Anza Division last season, tied for third place with Palo Alto. They include captains Lars Schubert, Liam Amburgey and Connor Sullivan, along with goalie Jake Cannon.
Koret said a talented freshmen class has boosted the team, with two—Koret politely declined to name them until the roster was finalized—likely to start. Koret and assistant coach Peter Blume also work together at San Jose Express water polo club, Koret as one of the club directors and Blume as coach of the 14-and-under team.
Some of the players who come to Los Gatos grow up competing for Express, so they know Koret’s system upon entering high school.
“Our incoming freshmen play above their age level, so that’s going to be exciting to see what they do,” Koret said.
Schubert is a dynamic returning first-team, all-league attacker/utility. Earlier this summer, Schubert played for the West Valley water polo 18U club team that finished 20th in the ultra-competitive Junior Olympics.
“If you take a look at a pic of Lars from when he was a freshman and now as a senior, you really have to look deeply to see any difference,” Koret said. “But in the pool, the experience he has and the way he sees and reads the game, it’s hard to find players like that in this area playing at that level. Lars plays good defense, is a great outside shooter and can post up. Pretty much every single play offensively and defensively runs through him.”
Amburgey has been a prolific goal-scorer ever since he was a freshman, but it’s another part of his game that Koret praised.
“Liam has improved a lot on defense, which was one of his main weaknesses last year,” Koret said. “He’s become a true all-around player and provides the team with experience and emotional support. If someone is having a bad day, you bring them over to talk to Liam, and he changes your day right away. He’s the guy the team can rely on outside of the pool because he’s very responsible and on top of things. Some college coaches have already contacted us about him which is pretty exciting because he’s only a junior.”
Koret said Amburgey and Schubert—along with a handful of other players on the team—take only a couple of weeks off throughout the year from water polo and swimming competition. Sullivan’s indefatigable work ethic has led to a dramatic improvement in his game.
“Connor is the one who has improved the most from August of 2021 to August of this year,” Koret said. “He’s improved a ton, so there will be a little more weight that is going to be put on him. We’ll definitely rely and expect more of him. He finally grew up a little bit and got a little more mature, and now he’s taking this pretty seriously. It’s a joy to watch him play.”
Cannon enters his third season as the team’s No. 1 goalie after a strong summer playing for his club team.
“Jake doesn’t have the physical ability of some goalies, but his work ethic is amazing,” Koret said. “He’s overperforming—not just every game—but every practice. His mindset is so clear and his goal so straightforward that you just tell him whatever you need and he’s going to do it. We’ll definitely expect him to not only perform, but to lead a little more now that he’s a senior because goalies are usually the leaders in the pool.”
One thing the team has this season that they haven’t had in the past is depth. Seniors Blake Lennan and Brenden Jones, who saw some playing time last year, figure to have a greater impact this season.
“We’ll have a solid 10-11 players get a decent amount of playing time and contribute to the team,” Koret said.
Defending league champion Harker looks to be the team to beat again, and Los Gatos would love to be the team that unseats them. “This is the strongest team we’ve had and the most experienced group in the past six years,” Koret said. “It’s good to hope and set some expectations. Obviously, our No. 1 expectation is making CCS, but the main goal is making it to the Open Division, which means we win our league.”
Sports editor Emanuel Lee can be reached at el**@we*****.com
