Campo Jeffery Strausser (9) Photo Doug Kohen

Lamorinda is known for its success in the pool. Since 2005 both the Miramonte and Campolindo girls' water polo teams have finished in the top five seeds of the North Coast Section (NCS). The boys' water polo team at Miramonte is the four-time defending champion. The Campolindo boys' team has finished as a top qualifier in the league as well.
With the success of both schools the rivalry match-up on October 11th was expected to be an exciting affair. However, the match-ups did not prove so equal and each school came away with a commanding win as the Campolindo girls defeated the Miramonte girls 14-6 and the Miramonte boy's dominated the Campolindo boys 13-7.
The girls played first, both teams looking to prove themselves. The Lady Cougars wanted to continue their Diablo Foothill Athletic League (DFAL) dominance by maintaining their first place seed with a 9-0 record. The Lady Mats hoped to demonstrate that despite a weak, 4-6 record, they could compete with a powerhouse.
Both teams got off to a quick start trading off goals in the first quarter. By the end of the first Miramonte, in true underdog spirit, had a surprising 4-3 lead. After falling behind in the first, however, the Cougars defense buckled down and the offense stepped up their play. The Matadors were held scoreless in the second and fourth quarter, while the Campo offense exploded. The Cougars went on to outscore the Matadors 11-2 in the final three quarters, including an eruption of six goals during the third quarter. By the final whistle, the Cougars finished with a commanding 14-6 victory. The Cougars' received goals from sophomore Kimi Klein (6) and junior Emily McPhee (2); and seniors Alex Toohey (3), Kerstin Henshall, Lizzie Peiros (1), and Daphne Nunez (1).
After the Cougar girls' victory Nunez, the team's starting post up, said, "It was awesome to crush Miramonte in our senior year. Every time we got in the pool we played as a team and all of the hard work really paid off."
The boys' game followed and was almost a reversal of the girls' game. Campolindo had a 7-6 record entering the game while the Matadors, following true to their dynasty, entered with an 11-1 record.
The Matadors got off to a quick start scoring three goals on the Cougars. Miramonte never looked back and maintained their lead for the entire game. Despite several surges by Campolindo during the third and fourth quarter, led by junior captain Jeffrey Strausser's high intensity defense, the Matadors were able to hold off the Cougars. Saves by Miramonte's senior goalie John Sibley stifled Campolindo's rallies and helped the Matadors finish the game with a solid 13-7 victory.
Campolindo travels to Dougherty Valley and Miramonte hosts Acalanes today, October 14.