The Sacred Heart Prep Gators went to Studio City to take care of business. And take care of business they did.
For the first time in 11 years, the SHP boys’ water polo team returned home from the prestigious Elite 12 Tournament at Harvard Westlake High School with the championship trophy. The Gators rolled to four straight wins against some of the top teams in the nation, culminating in an 8-7 victory over Newport Harbor in Saturday’s championship game.
Griff Price
It is the first time in the 11-year history of the tournament a Northern California team has claimed the crown. SHP has traveled to the tournament every year since its inception and has reached the championship game just one other time, in 2018.
“They were so excited,” SHP head coach Brian Kreutzkamp said of the Gators’ celebration at Saturday’s final buzzer. “They were really excited. These seniors had not won a tournament before this year in their career … so, especially against a team like Newport Harbor, they were really excited but also, understandably, very exhausted.”
The exhaustion was earned on the defensive side of the pool, as the Gators had to stave off a late surge from Newport Harbor. The Gators, fueled by goals from Gavin West, Jake Tsotadze and Bear Weigle, jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second period.
“We came out and played our best quarter, quarter and a half we have played the entire season,” Kreutzkamp said. “We were up 6-1 against one of the best teams in the United States, so obviously that felt pretty good.”
But the lead didn’t hold up. Ben Liechty turned things around for the Sailors with a goal inside the two-minute mark of the first half, setting off a 6-1 run. Liechty would score the equalizer in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to tie it 7-7.
With the momentum shifted, however, SHP goalkeeper Griff Price asserted himself with game-changing force. Within the final 6 minutes, 15 seconds of regulation, both teams combined for just one goal. Price went on to record 14 saves in the contest.
“We kept fighting and I was really proud of that,” Kreutzkamp said. “And we really just rode our goalie Griff Price. He just played out of his mind … and was making all kinds of saves.”
On the opposite end of the pool, Weigle proved the catalyst of the Gators’ offense. Kreutzkamp said the senior had a hand, either directly or indirectly, in four of the team’s eight goals. And with the game deadlocked at 7-7 at the two-minute mark, Weigle forced an exclusion to give the Gators a six-on-five.
Kreutzkamp called a timeout to set a play, a misdirect which went to Tsotadze for SHP’s only goal of the quarter, which proved to be the game-winner.
“[Newport Harbor’s defense] all jumped on Bear which left Jake open,” Kreutzkamp said.
Price stepped up for three saves in the final 1:43, including his facing down a six-on-five disadvantage in the closing seconds. Newport Harbor took a shot off the wing with an unmarked shooter, but Price was up to the challenge and slapped the attempt away as time expired.
“It was from a wing, from a bad angle, and Griff had him totally locked down,” Kreutzkamp said.
The Gators reached the championship game with wins over Loyola-Los Angeles 13-12, Oaks Christian-Westlake Village 16-5 and 10-6 over Junipero Serra-San Juan Capistrano.
With the championship win, SHP solidified its standing as the No. 2 team in the nation, ranked behind No. 1 Mater Dei, the only team to which the Gators have lost this season. The two teams will look to rematch this coming weekend as SHP hosts the annual North vs. South Tournament Friday and Saturday.
SHP girls take second place at Arroyo Grande
The SHP girls’ water polo team posted a 4-1 record at the Arroyo Grande Fall Classic tournament, taking second place after suffering its only loss to eventual champion Davis 6-4 in Friday’s quarterfinal round.
The Gators closed out the tourney Saturday with a 12-9 victory over Leland. The Chargers led 5-3 in the second quarter, but SHP goalkeeper Paedrin Gillett produced two critical saves to bookend goals from Brienz Lang and Ella Woodhead to tie it 5-5. Natalia Szczerba gave the Gators the lead with 5:25 to play in the third period before Woodhead and Land each scored to up the advantage to 8-5.
Woodhead, Lang and Megan Newby each recorded hat tricks for the Gators, while Woodhead also tallied four assists.
“The kids are all close with each other and obviously they’re feeling really good,” Kreutzkamp said of the overall vibe of SHP’s water polo program.
After the boys host the North vs. South Tournament this coming weekend, the SHP girls host the Northern California Championships the following weekend.
“These three weeks for us are kind of the heavy lifting for the entire season until we start tapering down for the playoffs,” Kreutzkamp said.
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Thomas Morgan said:
Given the street and driveway have been the same way for decades, what did the City do to endanger anyone?
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