Davis boys electric in complete water polo win over Pitman
LODI — It’s dangerous to have anything plugged in around the water …
When the electric Blue Devil Connor Stapleton leaped into the pool for a second-round Sac-Joaquin Section boys water polo playoff match against Pitman, the brilliant junior sent immediate shock waves through the Pride.
In an 18-6 win at Tokay High on Wednesday afternoon, Davis High was led by nine goals from the U.S. Junior Team member.
After a sluggish start — thanks to only one, no-brainer game in the past week — the Devils trailed 1-0 halfway through the first period. Then, Stapleton turned on the juice.
Player Stapleton must have heard his dad/coach Tracy imploring the team as Pitman was ahead: “You’re way too slow in reading the defense; you’re sitting there, thinking. You’ve got to move quickly!”
In a 90-second span, starting with 3:55 left in that first stanza, Connor Stapleton scored against a short-handed Pitman, then went to the cage for another unassisted goal. At the start of period No. 2, the attacker took a sweet feed from David Lester to put DHS on top, 3-1.
Trey Moynihan then hit the first of his two scores after a Stapleton steal and assist by Lester.
Pitman’s Beau Powell made things 4-2 at 3:34, but DHS ran off four consecutive strikes before the Pride tallied again in the second half.
The Blue Devils took no prisoners after that.
“Coming back from our last game, which was real easy (18-6 over Bear Creek in a first-round playoff game), I think we were a little rusty,” Connor Stapleton said. “By (Friday and Saturday’s section semifinals and final) we should be ready.”
The leading scorer’s two assists and five steals complemented some playoff-worthy games by utility workhorse Moynihan (two goals, two assists, two steals), sophomore Garrett Fisk (three tallies, two assists and two steals) and two more goals from freshman Conrad McCarthy (who also had an assist). Brandon Rueda, strong on defense, pushed in a floater off a Moynihan dish.
Davis (18-11) next meets St. Mary’s (a 12-11 winner over Lodi) in a Friday semi at 2 p.m. at Tokay.
“That’s what it’s like to play a game when you haven’t played a (real tough) game in a week and a half,” coach Stapleton added. “We were sloppy. Last week, (Bear Creek) was such that the starters didn’t even play a full quarter.”
In that playoff opener, DHS led 10-0 after 4 1/2 minutes.
“We need to keep getting better each quarter,” Stapleton, in his 24th season at the Devil helm, continued. “We keep doing that, we’ll be OK. I thought we did a lot better in the second half. But that really was cobwebs in the first.”
Notes: Last season The Blue Devils were runners-up to Jesuit, a 9-4 winner, for the section crown. St. Mary’s stopped DHS, 12-10, for the crown in 2009. Davis has won 13 CIF titles. … The Devils outshot Pitman, 30-14. … Freshman keeper Jeff Stark had five saves for DHS.
— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at bgallaudet@davisenterprise.net or (530) 747-8047.
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Posted by Bruce Gallaudet
on Nov 9 2011.
Last Login: Tue 22 May 2012 11:46:20 PM PDT
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