He wore a T-shirt commemorating the San Francisco Giants’ world
championship run in 2010 (remember those days?) at the time, so
Live Oak water polo fans have to smile now that Connor Haines has
proclaimed the Acorns to be a team of misfits.
”
We’re from all walks of life out there,
”
the senior wing says.
”
So all of us have really bonded. We’re out there trying to do
our best together.
”
What better way to explain Thursday’s 11-7 loss to visiting
Valley Christian? The Acorns, inferior in almost every way to the
West Catholic Athletic League stalwart, nearly overcame a trio of
three-goal deficits, plus a 9-5 margin they trimmed to 9-7 with
about four minutes left
MORGAN HILL
He wore a T-shirt commemorating the San Francisco Giants’ world championship run in 2010 (remember those days?) at the time, so Live Oak water polo fans have to smile now that Connor Haines has proclaimed the Acorns to be a team of misfits.
“We’re from all walks of life out there,” the senior wing says. “So all of us have really bonded. We’re out there trying to do our best together.”
What better way to explain Thursday’s 11-7 loss to visiting Valley Christian? The Acorns, inferior in almost every way to the West Catholic Athletic League stalwart, nearly overcame a trio of three-goal deficits, plus a 9-5 margin they trimmed to 9-7 with about four minutes left.
They had only fundamentals: thought-out passing, relentless defense and bold shooting.
“We just played as a team, went 110 percent the whole way,” said LOHS hole set Saul Orona.
It felt every bit like a playoff match. And if it was, Mack Haines would have looked at 2011 as an outright success.
“We’ve been working on a lot of things the last two weeks, and they played with much better teamwork and much better defense,” said the Acorns’ 26th-year coach, whose team could face Valley Christian again in the Division II Central Coast Sectional. “I’m going to sleep well tonight knowing the kids made a lot of improvement.”
It seems foolhardy to consider Live Oak’s playoff possibilities today, with the Acorns set to open another tough Mount Hamilton Division schedule at home against Pioneer. They could face a must-win situation as early as Oct. 5 at Sobrato — Live Oak then hosts powerhouse Leland followed by swing games against Santa Teresa and Willow Glen. It seems silly though to think Live Oak’s seemingly endless string of playoff appearances is in danger after Thursday’s game.
The Acorns knew what they were up against, and they played to Valley Christian’s level, heeding the words of their coach.
You have to keep fighting.
You have to believe in yourself.
“Mack’s the best there is,” senior Nathaniel Batey said. “He was leading us the whole way. He reminded us of what we did in practice, passing in six-on-fives, getting the goalie to move and looking for that open shot.”
Before the season Live Oak’s chief concern was replacing Danny Robinson, one of the program’s all-time leading goal scorers. As Mack Haines said, the Acorns did so by changing their attack. They rely on controlling the ball at both ends to “minimize liabilities and protect themselves.”
The Warriors, much faster in open water, led 3-0 in the first quarter after Cameron Martino scored three of his game-high five goals. Live Oak pulled even in the second on three laser-like shots by David Molyneux — each one set up with a sharp pass. Valley Christian answered with five goals in the third period, but the Acorns kept the deficit in reason with scores by Haines and Orona, who were blanketed in coverage most of the night.
“We had to press them and make sure we helped back on (Orona),” said Valley Christian coach Caleb Carlson, whose young but talented squad was missing its leading scorer, Danny Buzzetta. “They played well against us. We just had to stay composed.”
Molyneux led the Acorns with four goals and was one of three LOHS players with two assists, the others being Morgan Kelley and Orona.
“Everyone who went in stepped up,” Batey said.
Acorns goalkeeper Nick Hofmann, a second-year player, stopped seven shots and broke up several passes.
“He’s the hardest worker on our team,” Connor Haines said. “He tries his hardest on every shot. That’s all you can ask for.”
Printed on a wall in the LOHS locker room is the Acorns’ motto for 2011: “strength through unity.” You can guess which player coined the phrase before the season.
“I thought of it the first day of practice, and it kind of stuck,” Connor Haines said. “We’re trying to build a bond and come out here and play as brothers.”
Or pieces that fit together perfectly.
- The Sobrato Bulldogs enter their Mount Hamilton Division opener against Santa Teresa in great shape, following a 3-0 finish in last weekend’s Doug Wahlgren Tournament at Homestead High School.
Led by goalie Patrick Read, the Bulldogs beat 2010 playoff teams Carmel and Half Moon Bay and also took down Monterey, 11-6, in their finale behind five goals by Gio Chau.
Against Carmel, Garrett Jenks scored the go-ahead goal with two seconds left for a 7-6 win.
“The kids look ready to go for league,” Sobrato coach Dave Letts said.
NOTE: The Live Oak and Pioneer boys square off at 4 p.m. today, following the girls game at 3. The Bulldogs host Santa Teresa at 4.
