If there was one word to describe Ryan Gautschi
’s season, indeed his entire career, with the Live Oak High boys
water polo team, Acorn coach Mack Haines seems to have found it.
Prolific – as in the way Gautschi scored. “In 25 years of coaching
I don’t think I’ve ever had such an accurate shooter,” Haines said.
“He dominated the lea
gue offensively. He was a prolific scorer. We returned to an
elite level, and Ryan helped us do that.” For his scoring prowess
and overall excellence, Gautschi was a unanimous choice for his
second straight Tri-County Athletic League Most Valuable Player
award, announced recently.
If there was one word to describe Ryan Gautschi’s season, indeed his entire career, with the Live Oak High boys water polo team, Acorn coach Mack Haines seems to have found it.
Prolific – as in the way Gautschi scored.
“In 25 years of coaching I don’t think I’ve ever had such an accurate shooter,” Haines said. “He dominated the league offensively. He was a prolific scorer. We returned to an elite level, and Ryan helped us do that.”
For his scoring prowess and overall excellence, Gautschi was a unanimous choice for his second straight Tri-County Athletic League Most Valuable Player award, announced recently.
Joining Gautschi on the All-TCAL first team were juniors Justin Short and Shea Coleman, whom Haines said will be two of the top returning players in the Central Coast Section next season.
Haines said Short, who was the team’s second leading scorer behind Gautschi in his third year as a varsity starter, had a “breakthrough year.”
And, Haines described Coleman as a “tremendous goalie who is only going to get better,” predicting a Division I collegiate career for him.
Earning second team all-league honors were senior Corey Robinson, junior Bryson Bailey and sophomore Kyle Fast.
Haines said Robinson used his strong shooting arm to take some of the pressure off Gautschi, while Bailey “was a real (defensive) catalyst in fronting the (opposing) two-meter position, and Fast was a “workhorse” who was solid offensively and defensively.
All six players were instrumental in helping Live Oak return to the top of the boys water polo rankings in CCS. The Acorns (22-10 overall) competed in the mid-season State Invitational Tournament, won another in a string of league titles and advanced to the semifinals of the Division I playoffs. They were widely regarded as one of the top five or six teams in the region.
