The girls and boys finished second and third, respectively, in
the BVAL Tournament last weekend and host first-round playoffs
Tuesday and Wednesday
MORGAN HILL — Playing with the efficiency their coach, Mack Haines, was hoping to see this late in fall, the playoff-bound Live Oak Acorns salvaged a strong finish to a disappointing regular season by throttling Willow Glen, 10-5, Saturday in the consolation final of the Blossom Valley Athletic League Water Polo Tournament.
Live Oak overcame an early 2-0 deficit with a performance Haines described as a “team effort.”
The goal count suggested the same. Saul Orona netted five goals, Danny Robinson recorded a hat trick, and Cody Coleman and Mitch Rodrigues scored once.
“Everyone really did a nice job,” Haines said Monday. “They kept focusing on playing defense and … we stayed disciplined throughout the game.”
The Acorns led 3-2 halftime and 7-4 after three quarters at Live Oak High. They limited the Rams offense behind great defensive work by Connor Haines and Daniel Enriquez, who came off the bench.
“It really meant a lot to win this game,” Mack Haines said. “There were times during the season when I felt like we weren’t progressing. As a coach, you always want your team playing better at the end of the year. Things really came together.”
The Acorns’ third-place finish in the tournament was sweetened by the fact that they avenged a loss to Willow Glen during Mount Hamilton Division play, when Live Oak finished a discouraging 2-3.
Now the Acorns (12-10 overall) have another shot at payback. They host a first-round Central Coast Section Division II playoff game at 7 p.m. Tuesday against No. 9 seed Burlingame (11-13) of the Peninsula Athletc League. The Panthers beat Live Oak in the second round of the playoffs the past two seasons.
The winner plays No. 1 Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals Saturday.
“They’re program has done very well,” Mack Haines, whose team drew a No. 8 seed for the 12-team tournament, said of Burlingame. “They’re not an old, traditional power, but they’re up and coming.”
The Lady Acorns didn’t get the revenge victory they hoped for against Leland, but they gave the top-seeded and highly ranked Chargers all they could handle once again in Saturday’s BVAL championship game.
Live Oak (18-4), which lost by three to Leland in the Mount Hamilton title match Oct. 23, trailed 5-0 before answering with two goals from Sarah D’Angelo and Rachel Cretcher, and one apiece by Sarah Sendejas and Katie Rick.
The Acorns returned to form in the 11-7 defeat following a shaky 9-7 semifinal win over Pioneer.
“They played very well. They looked a lot better than Friday,” Live Oak girls coach Lynn Gautschi said. “They were fine with how they finished. They gave Leland a run.”
The Chargers, ranked in the top three in the section, will play as the No. 3 seed in the Division I tournament.
The Acorns earned a No. 7 seed in the Division II bracket and will play No. 10 Soquel of the Santa Cruz Athletic League at 7 p.m. Wednesday at LOHS.
Some would argue Live Oak deserved a better draw. The Acorns will get to prove themselves in the second round against No. 2 Castilleja, provided they don’t slip up Wednesday.
“They were a little underrated based on their performance,” Haines said. “But you can either complain about it or show you should get a little more respect.”
The Sobrato water polo teams ended their seasons with wins in both fifth-place games Friday.
The Santa Teresa Division champion Lady Bulldogs routed league foe Willow Glen 14-3, getting a game-high five goals from Nika Burnett, and the Sobrato boys edged ‘A’-league Mount Pleasant 9-8.
Adam Jasper scored four goals and Marc Barats had a hat trick to lead the Bulldogs.
