Sobrato paced for title sweep, possible jump to new division
Adam Jasper wanted to get back in the pool.
The Sobrato High School junior stood next to two of his 200-yard medley relay members, Prashan Welipitiya and Patrick Read, under the shade at the timer’s table, waiting to see if the freestyle leg he had just swum was fast enough to get the foursome — Timmy Thompson included — under the Central Coast Sectional qualifying time of one minute, 47.99 seconds.
“Are you serious?” Jasper laughed as their time of 1:48.12 was announced. “There’s always room for improvement.”
It didn’t matter to Jasper or his relaymates that their closest competition in Wednesday’s dual against Silver Creek finished almost 11 seconds behind them. Or that the Bulldogs once again look like they will run away with a Santa Teresa Division team title, unless Piedmont Hills has something to say about it.
Why would that matter?
Many of the standouts on Dave Letts and Kevin Paulsen’s swim teams at SHS aren’t really swimmers per say, but water polo players who swim in spring.
“if you want to become a better polo player, you’ve got to be a fast swimmer,” Letts said. “Football players, they go do track. Water polo players do swimming.”
The Bulldogs might not care about winning a division crown — it would be the boys’ third title in five years and the girls’ first since 2007 — but they do care about performing their the best in the pool.
That was plain to see Wednesday. While both SHS teams moved to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the Santa Teresa, beating Silver Creek 116-49 (boys) and 119-48 (girls), the Bulldogs had bigger things in mind, like qualifying for CCS finals and carrying their program a step further.
“Having a winning team, it’s good for our reputation and all, but CCS means the most,” Read said. “This is big for us. We take a lot of pride in swimming.”
Credit Letts and Paulsen for keeping their athletes in top form mentally and physically this spring. Their elite swimmers on both teams have been especially impressive.
In the last three years, Welipitiya, Thompson, Jasper and Read have seen the boys water polo team go from winning its first league championship in the Santa Teresa Division to gaining respect in the Mount Hamilton Division. In fall, they helped the Bulldogs nearly clinch a debut trip to sectionals at the Blossom Valley Athletic League tournament, where Sobrato beat Live Oak for the first time in program history.
Now those four are at the helm of what could be a transformation year for SHS swimming. They met their first sectional standard (1:35.01) this season in the 200 freestyle relay Wednesday and are each closing in on qualifying marks in individual events, with Read in the 100 butterfly and Jasper in the freestyle sprints.
“Every race, we’re going for it, just focusing on ourselves and not the guys racing against us,” Jasper said.
Read was .05 away from making the cut Wednesday in the 100 butterfly.
“I can’t say enough about those guys,” Letts said when asked to discuss Jasper and Read, who were first- and second-team all-league for water polo at hole set and goalie in fall. “Patrick comes to practice every day. He leads by example. Doesn’t say a whole lot, but he’s here every day working his tail off.
“Adam just has a natural ability to do good in the pool. He’s a hard worker. He can be something special if he gets even more dedicated.”
Thompson, a senior, is as hungry as ever to swim at CCS Championships again. He qualified the last two years with Jasper in the 200 and 400 free relays.
“To be successful in relays, you have to have guys that go all out and push each other,” Thompson said. “I feel like we have that.”
The SHS girls have a sectional qualifier in sophomore Christiana Bridges (500 free) and could have two more this spring with sophomore Gabrielle Smith and freshman Devin MacDonald in the 200 individual medley. MacDonald is also having a strong year in the 100 breaststroke.
“They’re battling close right now,” Paulsen said. “I’m excited to see where they finish this year.”
Though they will likely have a small contingent at sectionals, the SHS girls will likely not be challenged in league until Sobrato visits Piedmont Hills on April 14.
Much will be at stake. The SHS boys will be out to avenge their only loss a year ago, when the Pirates beat them in the final dual to steal the league crown.
If the Bulldogs sweep the boys and girls titles, it could be their last Santa Teresa Division meet. Sobrato would have a legitimate argument to join the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s A division next spring, having dominated in the B league on the boys and girls side for years.
Both SHS teams also earned their first win over an A league team this season — Live Oak.
“That felt like the water polo win all over again. I don’t know how to describe it,” Jasper said. “It feels like it’s our time to shine right now.”
