Eight past and present players compete in Maui
In the pool San Benito and Live Oak water polo players are fierce competitors, but before the season begins they are the best of friends.
Eight current and former Haybalers helped the three Morgan Hill Water Polo Club teams to a strong finish in the Fifth Annual Maui Invitational last week.
The 16U team won the championship on Friday by defeating Team Alberta, 5-1. Balers Joel and David Smith and Blane Curtice played in that game. James Schafer also got a good amount of playing time during the tournament.
The team was coached by Live Oak grad David Letts, and the assistant coach was San Benito grad Kris Barr.
In the first round, Morgan Hill defeated Saint Francis Polo Boys, 7-6. Morgan Hill defeated Team Maui, 12-2; Hawaii Islands, 6-1; Anuenue, 12-8 and Scripps, 8-1.
The men’s open team took fifth after losing its first game, 3-2.
“We should have won it, but we had a whole bunch of guys coming together who were learning to play with each other,” said coach Larry Barr, who has been making the trip for about nine years.
In one open game against Team Maui that Morgan Hill won 14-5, Kris Barr scored a majority of the goals. Barr, who attended Loyola Marymount University, is playing for the Los Angeles Water Polo team and coach Rich Corso, who is assisting the Olympic team.
Also on the open team was former Baler Greg Henneman, who plays for West Valley.
The 18U team placed sixth. Zach Bainter and Lucas Zepeda both got a lot of playing time on the team.
Several of the younger players had the chance to play on the two older teams.
“They may not been starters, but they got the experience of playing with bigger, stronger college kids,” Barr said.
Next year the team has considered attending a tournament in Kona on the Big Island.
