The Live Oak boys water polo team may not have finished strong
in the State Invitational at Lynbrook High in San Jose over the
weekend, but the Acorns did learn a few things.
The Live Oak boys water polo team may not have finished strong in the State Invitational at Lynbrook High in San Jose over the weekend, but the Acorns did learn a few things.
The Acorns took 15th out of 16 teams, winning just one of four games.
But with the exception of their game against Harvard Westlake, a nationally ranked team that beat LO 14-5, all the games were close.
“Our goal was to be competitive and learn where we are,” said Coach Mack Haines. “Sometimes you learn more from a close loss than blowing out weaker competition.”
In their second game on Friday, the Acorns took on Miramonte, a North Coast Section power, but lost 12-10.
Haines said the game was extremely competitive and could have gone either way.
Leading the charge for the Acorns were Ryan Gautschi and Justin Short, who scored four and three goals, respectively.
On Saturday, LO’s game against Clovis came down to the wire, with the Acorns dropping a 13-12 decision.
Haines said the team battled right down to the final seconds, but couldn’t pull off the win.
In both games, Haines said the team learned what it takes to try to hold on to a close lead, something the Acorns haven’t had much experience with during the regular season.
“We played two close games where we couldn’t protect a close lead,” Haines said. “Both Miramonte and Clovis pointed our errors we need to work on.”
In its final game of the tournament, Live Oak eked out its onlywin, beating Esperanza 11-8.
“It was a good game,” Haines said. “We corrected some of our mistakes and protected a close lead.”
Gautschi had a good tournament, leading the team with 23 goals. Short added seven.
Haines said once Gautschi got on track, he played really well and scored against some good teams.
Acorn goalie Shea Coleman also caught the coach’s eye. Haines said the junior rose to the occasion.
“He had a great tournament,” Haines said. “He definitely played at the level of the competition.”
The Acorns have the week off in preparation for their Tri-County Athletic League tournament opener, scheduled for 10am on Saturday at Live Oak.
The Acorns have a first-round bye in the tourney.
Meanwhile, the Live Oak girls water polo team plays its TCAL tourney opener on Tuesday at 3:30pm, also at Live Oak.
