A foursome from Hollister competed at the S
&
amp; R Sport Junior Olympics Water Polo Championships earlier
this month, gaining experience and friendships against opposing
teams from all over the country.
n Staff Reports
San Jose – A foursome from Hollister competed at the S & R Sport Junior Olympics Water Polo Championships earlier this month, gaining experience and friendships against opposing teams from all over the country.
Jordan Schafer, 15, competed on the 16U Valley Splash team; Joshua Schafer and Nicholas Angulo, both 13, were on the 14U team from Morgan Hill; and Caitlin Schafer, 11, was on the 12U San Jose Aquatics (SJA).
The boys tournament, which took place from July 28 through Aug. 5, was held in locations in and around San Jose, while the girls tournament was held from Aug. 2-5.
At the 16U level, Jordan Schafer and Valley Splash went 3-3, falling to Granite Bay, VC Premier and Sultan, but rebounding with wins against Honolulu, Pacific Polo and United B. Valley Splash wound up in 43rd place overall out of 48 teams.
Schafer, a junior at San Benito High School, has been playing varsity since his sophomore year. Though he played for Valley Splash, he’s been a part of Morgan Hill Water Polo for four years, and attended an international tournament in Hawaii last year.
At the 14U age group, Joshua Schafer and Nicholas Angulo competed for Morgan Hill, who compiled a record of 2-5 to finish in 16th place overall out of 32 teams. The squad started off by upending Commerce, the No. 5-seed in the tournament. They then lost to Los Alamitos, rebounded to win over Chehalem, but dropped games to Sultan, Huntington Beach, Diablo and the Los Angeles Water Polo Club (LAWPC).
The match against Huntington Beach, though, was won by a shootout after the two teams tied at the end of regulation.
While Joshua Schafer is in the eighth-grade at Rancho San Justo Middle School, Angulo is a freshman at SBHS. Together, the two 13-year-olds have played for Morgan Hill Water Polo for a combined five-and-a-half years.
In the 12U division, Caitlin Schafer and SJA recorded wins over LAWPC and American River to finish in 10th place overall out of 24 teams. Caitlin Schafer has been on Morgan Hill for two years.
The four players had to dedicate extra time to their Junior Olympic team, as well as their club team, to prepare for the national tournament.
