Bulldogs earn first win over Live Oak but not CCS berth; also,
SHS girls tennis, LOHS field hockey open playoffs this week
MORGAN HILL
The Sobrato boys water polo team was holding its own midway through Friday’s Blossom Valley Athletic League Tournament quarterfinal against top seed Leland.
All the talk around the pool deck at Live Oak High School, however, was of the Bulldogs’ 15-7 win over LOHS the previous day.
One Acorns fan likened it to watching a “bad accident in slow motion on repeat.”
Longtime coach Mike Monsees, now in his 14th season at Leland, called it the biggest upset he had ever seen, “and it was a beating.”
Sobrato beat Live Oak in water polo for the first time. Mack Haines on Monday admitted he has “seen it all.”
“That’s what happens when you coach this long,” said Haines, who has been with the Acorns for about three decades. “We flopped, and they played a great game. They took it to us.
“The good news is we have a true rivalry now.”
Sobrato penned the story of BVAL Finals with the same formula that helped the team go from being a Mount Hamilton Division also-ran to within a game of earning the school’s first section-playoff berth in water polo this fall (the Bulldogs lost a semifinal Saturday against Willow Glen and missed the cut).
Junior goalkeeper Patrick Read was stellar in the cage, 2-meter/hole set Adam Jasper was a scoring force, and Garrett Jenks, Mathew Byrne and Ryan Laird derailed Live Oak’s attack while setting up scoring opportunities on the fly.
“Defense is just everything for us. The guys have bought into that at practice, and they’ve been working hard,” said first-year Sobrato coach Dave Letts, who played under Haines at Live Oak in the mid-1990s. “A lot of the plays we ran were plays Mack taught me. I learned everything from him — he’s been my mentor since I was 12.
“We’re still cool with each other.”
Haines acknowledged that by saying, “I think Dave has got his coaching philosophy across.”
The Bulldogs looked much different than the team that lost 17-4 to the Acorns earlier this season.
“It took speed, skill and a lot of patience,” Sobrato driver Spencer Greene said. “Usually, we make stupid decisions in games. We fixed problems and overcame them this time.”
Jasper, one of the veterans who helped keep the team together through a rough start in league play, felt Live Oak was undone emotionally.
“They started getting angry with each other. They were losing it in their heads, and we stayed composed,” said the junior, who scored twice Friday in a 14-5 loss to Leland. “Patty’s been beautiful lately, and he took it to another level.
“The win is just huge. (Live Oak’s) always bragged about being the better team, but this time, we were.”
True, but the Acorns were the only local team included in the Central Coast Section playoff seeding Sunday. Live Oak beat Santa Teresa 17-5 Saturday behind five goals by Danny Robinson, four by Connor Haines and three by Saul Orona and earned the No. 7 seed in the Division II tournament. The Acorns (13-9 overall) play 10th-seeded Half Moon Bay (14-4) in the first round at 5:30 p.m. today at Lynbrook High School.
Haines, whose team tied for second in round-robin league play, is just happy his team gets a “second chance” to show its true potential.
“Live Oak over the years have prided themselves with their play in November and December,” he said. “I hope things get back on track. We’ll see which team shows up.”
The Lady Acorns (10-8) had a rough tournament showing as well but still qualified for the Division II playoffs as the No. 10 seed.
They opened BVALs with a thrilling 17-16 win in overtime against Willow Glen, then lost badly to Pioneer on Friday and fell 11-9 to Santa Teresa on Saturday.
The Acorns face No. 7 Menlo (8-12) at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Palo Alto.
All first-round winners continue play Saturday at various locations. Game times are to be announced.
FIELD HOCKEY
For their strong start in Santa Teresa Division play, the Acorns were rewarded with their first CCS playoff berth under fourth-year coach Gina Sanders.
Live Oak (9-5), which dropped its league finale 4-0 at Cupertino on Friday, earned a No. 9 seed and plays in the first round at 3 p.m. Thursday against host eighth-seed Branham (9-1-2).
GIRLS TENNIS
The Sobrato girls (11-5) make their CCS-playoff debut at 2:30 p.m. today with a first-round game at Aragon (12-7).
