LAMORINDA WEEKLY | As Weather Cools, High School Water Polo Heats Up


Miramonte scored four goals in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough against Campo's defense Photos Gint Federas

Over the past month, the high school water polo teams have faced off with a number of rivals in-and-out of the DFAL to prepare for the season, and Oct. 2 marked the first game of intra-DFAL play to determine this year's league rankings.

Girls:

Campolindo once again proved to be the team to beat. Campo has won two titles in the last three years, and with a solid win against Miramonte in the DFAL opener, the team is poised for another run.

The Cougars defeated Miramonte 10-8, but the Mats put up a tough fight. At the start of the fourth quarter, Campo had a 9-4 lead. Miramonte was able to close the gap through fast, powerful offensive plays and strong defense, but it wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit.

"We came out with the right mindset and the right intensity level in the first half of the game," said Campo's head coach Kim Everist. "Miramonte did a good job of adjusting their defense, and we didn't really adjust our defense."

Despite the loss, Miramonte's head coach Trevor Rose welcomed the result after losing to Campolindo 9-3 earlier this season.

"We've been a young team for a few years, and we've had some maturity issues in years past," said Rose. "I think this year we are gelling as a team more. That game against Campolindo was pretty good, not the best effort we could have had, but better than our first game against them."

Meanwhile, Acalanes continues to improve. With 7-5 record, the Dons work on keeping their efforts consistent throughout games, an ability head coach Misha Buchel said still needs to be developed.

"We've definitely had our off-days, but I think overall we are progressing really well and by the end of the season we will be really good," said senior and team captain Chase Lanier.

Boys:

Miramonte continues to stand out, defeating Campo 11-9 on Oct 2. The Mats have won eight out of the last ten NCS championships, and despite losing some All-American players last year, they hope to build on the tradition.

"The team has done a really nice job. We have a lot of seniors that do a really great job of leading the team," said Miramonte's head coach James Lathrop.

The Campolindo boys are hoping to challenge Miramonte in the title chase this year; they look ready for the task, despite the loss.

The score was tied for most of the game, including a 9-all score heading into the fourth quarter. Miramonte scored the final two goals to take the game. Nevertheless, Campo's head coach Miles Price has confidence in his team's ability.

"The team has done great thus far," said Price. "We're winning games by 7 or 8 goals that would have been close in the past. We're a lot more dominant then ever before. I definitely believe we can win an NCS Championship."

Acalanes has had a rough start with a 3-7 record. After losing some notable seniors from last year, the team has been working on gaining more experience.

"We're just slowly joining together," said Acalanes' head coach Clarke Tamariki. "We expected to be a little further along the learning curve, but we will get it together."

On October 9, Acalanes will travel to take on Miramonte.