Prior to Tuesday’s 13-7 win over visiting Santa Teresa, the Sobrato boys water polo team had never experienced the joy of being 1-0 in the Mount Hamilton Division. The SHS seniors — who can tell you what 1-4 feels like — savored most of it from the pool deck. With his team ahead 6-1, Sobrato coach Dave Letts began subbing out his starters with a minute left in the first quarter. Together they watched a first-rate mop-up job by the reserves, the future of their program, and a spectacular display of goalkeeping by Sobrato senior Patrick Read, who made three of his seven saves at point-blank range in the fourth period
MORGAN HILL
Prior to Tuesday’s 13-7 win over visiting Santa Teresa, the Sobrato boys water polo team had never experienced the joy of being 1-0 in the Mount Hamilton Division.
The SHS seniors — who can tell you what 1-4 feels like — savored most of it from the pool deck.
With his team ahead 6-1, Sobrato coach Dave Letts began subbing out his starters with a minute left in the first quarter. Together they watched a first-rate mop-up job by the reserves, the future of their program, and a spectacular display of goalkeeping by Sobrato senior Patrick Read, who made three of his seven saves at point-blank range in the fourth period.
This was one the whole team enjoyed.
“It was fun. It was really fun,” senior driver John Patterson said, pausing perhaps to think about how far the Bulldogs have come. “It was nice that we got to have some playing time for people who haven’t had much of it.”
Patterson alluded to his friend, Lucas Salem, a junior wing who matched four other Bulldogs for a team-high with two goals. The others were Garrett Jenks, Jacob Pignone, Will Watson and Patterson.
Adam Jasper, Sobrato’s all-league 2-meter, had an assist and only one goal in limited action. Even that was a sign of progress though to Letts.
“Adam’s a very versatile player,” the second-year coach said. “He’s in contention to be one of the best players in our league, but we need to get the ball to other people. If we can get other people involved, then we’ll be in good shape.”
The Bulldogs showed great discipline. They dumped the ball with little time on the shot clock to get back on defense, created instant fast breaks off turnovers, moved Santa Teresa goalie Jeremy Shradar with crossing passes and were up to the challenge of defending Saints center Jake Schafer, who had six goals and an assist.
“We just outswam them. That was it,” Salem said. “We wanted to get the ball down, get some drives in and shoot.”
At times Sobrato’s attack was too effective.
“We had opportunities to pass the ball, and they just shot it instead, so I sat them down,” Letts said. “It’s not about how many goals you score; it’s about winning as a team.”
It’s a phenomenon that just might catch on this fall.
“We feel pretty good, pretty confident right now,” Patterson said. “As long as we’re winning games I’m cool with watching from the bench.”
- Next week Sobrato hosts Live Oak at 6 p.m. Wednesday in league play — and the stakes couldn’t be bigger for the Acorns, who lost 10-7 to Pioneer in their Mount Hamilton Division opener Tuesday.
David Molyneux had a hat trick to lead Live Oak, and Morgan Kelley added two goals. Nathaniel Batey and Connor Haines also scored for the Acorns.
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