Four Devils pick up boys water polo honors

A week after Davis High completed its run to the school’s 14th Sac-Joaquin Section championship with a 13-5 win over Granite Bay last Saturday, Blue Devils, as expected, were all over the all-CIF teams.

DHS senior Connor Stapleton topped the list, picking up his second consecutive section Most Valuable Player award, as four Devils were honored. The U.S. youth national team member and two-time high school All-American scored 124 goals this fall — tallying in every single game for the second straight season — to finish with an incredible 353 career goals.

It’s the third straight time that Stapleton was named to the Sac-Joaquin first team, where he was joined in 2012 by juniors Graham Fullerton and Garrett Fisk. Fullerton was third on the team in scoring but, according to head coach Tracy Stapleton, that was just the beginning of his contribution to the team’s championship season.

“It was his stand-out play at center that anchored our offense,” the 25th-year mentor explained. “Regardless of who we played, Graham was able to establish position, thus enabling our offense to function effectively. Additionally, Graham was a very strong defender.”

The versatile Fisk was second in scoring with 68 goals, giving the Blue Devils offensive production from all over the pool.

“He’s a very strong perimeter player with excellent shooting ability,” coach Stapleton said. “He could also post up and, when needed, Garrett was an excellent defender.”

Just a sophomore, DHS’ Conrad McCarthy also earned All-CIF recognition as a member of the section’s second team. McCarthy was fourth on the team with 41 goals, and was the key to the Devil defense.

“Called upon to defend our opponent’s primary offensive threat, Conrad’s workman-like attitude was instrumental in our success this season,” Stapleton said.