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Published August 20, 2008
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Lamorinda Water Polo Club Completes Best Season in History
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| Submitted by John Schnugg |
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Back row L to R: Coach Mike Ferrif, Andrew Furtado, Jacob Kennedy, Coach Trevor Wagner, Ryan McCracken, Andrew Deaver, Josh Ridings, Austin Wentzel, Coach Mark Vaquier, and Tommy Bush
Front Row: Nima Anjedani, Austin Wentzel, Colby Cannon, Jack Garrett, Tommy Baier Photo submitted
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Lamorinda Water Polo Club competed in the Boys National Junior Olympics July 26-29 in Orange County, CA, and came away with three top 10 teams, the best combined placement in club history and the second best overall club performance in the country.
Lamo has traditionally performed well in the J.Os, but with an expanded tournament format and many of the program’s top players participating in the Junior Pan-American Championships, it was not expected to fare as well as in prior years. However, the talented team proved its mettle through the long, demanding tournament, despite the 5.4 earthquake on July 29 that made a few waves at the competition pools. With over 2,500 boys on 180 teams participating from across the country, this year’s J.Os was the largest tournament in U.S. water polo history.
Lamo’s defending national champion 18-under team featured a new and remarkably young group consisting of mainly high school juniors from Miramonte, Acalanes, and Berkeley high schools. All-North Coast selections Marin Balarin, Danny Crocker, Brett Lathrope and Stephen Siri led the team to a fourth-place finish in the 48-team tournament, competing against clubs composed primarily of college-bound seniors.
In the 16-under division, Lamo also placed fourth among 48 teams, following a third place finish in 2007. Players from Acalanes, Miramonte, and De Le Salle combined to win back-to-back one-goal nail biters and force a crucial tie to advance to the semi-final, where they fell to the eventual tournament champion 4 2. It was a hard fought finish for this talented age group and bodes well for next year, when many of the players will join Lamo’s already strong 18-under group.
The 14-under boys surprised the national age group water polo world with their seventh-place finish. Playing against powerhouse clubs from southern California, the youngsters from Lamo pulled off a stunning tie against Huntington Beach to advance to the final eight, where they played eventual silver and bronze medalists Socal Water Polo and Laguna Beach in tough consecutive losses. Players from Lamorinda intermediate schools filled the roster for the 14s group, many of whom will soon join our successful local high school teams.
Finally, the 12-under group came out firing with three consecutive wins in their 36-team tournament, but fell in a defensive struggle to eventual silver medalist Socal (2-1) and to seventh-place Navy (5-3), and then lost consecutive heartbreakers in early bracket play. The youngest Lamo squad came up with three more victories in the tournament to place 15th overall.
As the four-day event wrapped up with a final game, Lamorinda Water Polo executive head coach Boyd Lachance beamed with pride about the historic finish for the club. He noted that with former J.O. participant and recently-named Lamorinda Water Polo Hall of Famer Peter Varelles competing on the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing, it has truly been a magical summer season. The future looks even brighter with the Lamo teams looking to gain strength and experience in the coming seasons and new talent sure to contribute to the club’s success. |
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| Lamorinda's Bret Lathrope (3) Photo submitted |
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| Reach the reporter at: info@lamorindaweekly.com |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA