Young boys water polo Devils ready to make a splash
Either Jesuit or Davis high schools (or both) have been in the Sac-Joaquin Section boys water polo championship game since 1994.
Last year it was the Troubadours over the Blue Devils, 9-4.
Given the track record of the two pool powers, area fans shouldn’t be surprised if a rematch resurfaces in 2011.
But for DHS to make the trip to the section finals again, it looks like there’s a little retooling to be done.
“This year I would say we’re very young overall,” veteran coach Tracy Stapleton told The Enterprise. “Of our 31 (program) players, 22 are freshmen or sophomores. Very young, yes. But long on experience.”
Owners of 13 CIF titles, Davis has been in this position before. In the past, when the Devils have lost a handful of key seniors to graduation, there have been able bodies waiting on the pool deck.
This fall should be no exception.
“We’ve been talking about this season since two weeks after sections last year,” explains Stapleton, a former UC Davis player. “They’ve played together in club and so forth … so it’s not a matter of them coming in cold.”
Just young.
Stapleton sees a calculated approach to offense — at least in the beginning.
Believing his defense will once again be strong, a freshman, Jeff Stark, is expected to start at goalkeeper: “He’s earned the job,” his coach says.
The center defender could be junior Jack Blattner or ninth-grader Conrad McCarthy, sophomore Garrett Fisk or versatile junior standout Connor Stapleton.
“(Connor) will play everywhere,” says coach Dad. “It’s just not him. We’ll have so many people at multiple positions.”
Defensively on the wings are Tre Moynihan and Brandon Rueda, both seniors.
Stapleton likes that this mix of players brings so many different strengths to the opponents’ attack zone.
Up front, foes will get a heaping helping of U.S. Junior Team member Stapleton, as well as junior Dylan Newsom and Tyler Ujifusa, a sophomore.
With junior Ethan Camden backing up Stark and attacker Derek Tully coming on, Stapleton likes his team’s depth. Senior utility veteran David Lester provides experienced leadership, as does 12th-grade attacker Yunus Tezcan.
Freshman Bradley Nicholson and sophomore Graham Fullerton should shine on offense as their heritage suggests. Both are siblings of former Devil water polo greats.
“We’ll find out a lot this weekend at our scrimmages down in Clovis,” Stapleton says of his young squad. “Really, as a coach, I’m not really concerned about what we are or what we show.
“I’m more concerned about ‘OK, this is what we are: How do we react to it?’ ”
Stapleton says he’ll know more on Monday at practice.
Notes: Davis will compete, beginning next Thursday, at the John Schmitt Memorial Tournament at San Jose. Ponderosa (at Union Mine) is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 14, and league begins with Franklin at Arroyo on Wednesday, Sept. 28. …”I’m excited to see how things go this weekend,” Stapleton adds. “There’s not a doubt in my mind this team, coming the beginning of October, the month of November, will be a very different team from what we see now.” …The Blue Devils last won the SJS title in 2008, beating Jesuit (who else?), 8-6.
— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at bgallaudet@davisenterprise.net or (530) 747-8047.
Short URL: http://www.davisenterprise.com/?p=77420
Posted by Bruce Gallaudet
on Sep 1 2011.
Last Login: Tue 22 May 2012 11:46:20 PM PDT
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