SBHS reserves enjoy top billing in 17-4 rout over Toreadores
Hollister – Even with most of its starters taking the afternoon off, the San Benito boys’ water polo team enjoyed a goal-happy romp over visiting Monterey on Wednesday. The second-string ‘Balers jumped on the Toreadores early, using four first-quarter scores to set the tone for the eventual 17-4 rout.
Just days removed from a game in the Menlo Invitational in which San Benito got to test itself against mighty Bellarmine, the ‘Balers found themselves at the other end of the spectrum in their second Tri-County Athletic League contest. Whereas the senior-laden starting unit showed the ‘Balers’ vast potential by playing the Bells to a halftime draw before eventually losing 11-3 last Friday, the bulk of the regulars simply admired the handiwork of their teammates against the Toreadores.
Adam Rianda got San Benito (7-2, 2-0 TCAL) started with a goal fired from point-blank range just 14 seconds into the contest, and then the ‘Balers began to pick off Monterey passes to create offensive opportunities. After a deflection, field player Bruce Butler came up with the loose ball and quickly found Steve Larson on the right side for a quick shot and a 2-0 lead.
By quarter’s end, sophomore Jordan Schafer found Butler for a goal, and then Larson scored again to put the ‘Balers up 4-0 before Monterey (1-7, 0-2 TCAL) even had a chance to get settled.
After enduring a number of practices geared toward improving the ‘Balers’ teamwork, the players made the extra pass throughout the contest, finding open teammates with ease to push the lead to 8-1 at halftime and 14-1 by the end of the third quarter.
“It’s a team sport,” explained Rianda, who finished with three goals and a pair of assists. “It’s not a single-person sport. You have a better chance of winning if you play as a team.”
And the depth of San Benito’s team was on full display Wednesday, as coach Tom Agan was able to clear the bench and experiment with some unusual combinations. Goalies Matt Thorpe and John Kaplanis each played part of the game in the field, with Kaplanis recording two goals and an assist. 2-meter player David Smith even stepped into goal at the start of the fourth quarter, but two quick goals by Monterey’s Henry Vega landed Smith back on the bench next to the rest of the normal starters.
Monterey coach Ken Esaki said that after back-to-back winless seasons, his team is only beginning to learn how to compete. “What we want to do is just learn about the game and make (the players) fundamentally sound,” Esaki said of a program that had just seven players in 2005. “We used to have some pretty good teams, but it’s been a downhill slide the last couple of years.”
With the ‘Balers in firm control, Schafer said the reserves wanted to work on establishing an effective counterattack to set up the offense quickly. “Our starters are awesome and they’re really good,” said the field player, who posted four goals and assisted on three others. “Games like this, that’s when the second string gets to come in and work on those things.”
Said Agan: “It’s fun to get some of the guys that are playing on next year’s team some time.” The ‘Balers’ coach also commended the attitude of the senior starters, a group that graciously ceded playing time. “That’s really unselfish of them,” he said.
Larson tied Schafer with a game-high four goals and also notched two assists, while Butler and Matt Morrison each scored twice.
The ‘Balers return to action when they host Watsonville on Tuesday at 3:30pm.
JV Note: The San Benito JV boys’ water polo team downed its Monterey counterpart on Wednesday in Hollister. Behind two goals from Ryan Whiteside and strong play in goal from Kyle Reuther, the ‘Balers (4-1, 1-1 TCAL) prevailed 6-1.
