The JV Boys Water Polo Team splashed into action with two back to back decisive wins their very first week of the regular season — 19-1 vs the Granada Mats on Tuesday, and 11-3 vs the Encinal Jets on Wednesday! Under the leadership of the new Head Coach Jake Norton and Assistant Coaches Kyle Rosenblatt & Connor Mattox, the boys showed tremendous “game sense” and incredibly strong Defensive play — which is highly unusual this early in the season, and with a team comprised of only Freshmen and Sophomores.
Freshman Goalie Ryan “The Dominator” Graff lead the team both nights with multiple assists, blocks, and strong command of the overall game — bringing the screaming fans to their feet in the game against Encinal with one notable 5m penalty block, which Graff caught and then quickly passed the length of the pool to Sophomore Theo Penn for an amazing goal. But the talent does not stop there — Freshman Spencer “Bullet” Salfen scored an incredible 10 goals between the two games, while Freshman Brady Pigeon scored 4 goals, Sophomore Ben Paulsen and Freshman Alexander Mura each scored 3 goals, and Sophomores Finn Butler, Theo Penn & Luke Wellen plus Freshmen Connor Dunton & Colin Heintz each scored 2 goals.
Acalanes Men’s Water Polo mourned in January when Head Coach Nick Jordan hung up the Speedo after 4 tremendous years, understandably prioritizing his wife and new baby … but it was another understandable nail biter for all involved as they waited to see what would happen next. Would the momentum built by Nick and his Assistant Coach Jake be lost after 4 years of hard work and dedication? Would the Men’s Water Polo program ever get back to the former glory years when they were feared League-wide? Or as Bill Paxton said in the movie Aliens, was it: “Game over, man!”
So Players and Parents alike were absolutely ecstatic when the well-known and well-loved Assistant Coach Jake was named as the new Acalanes Men’s Water Polo Head Coach! Jake brings a passion and fire to the team along with an in-depth knowledge of each player and the game, and Water Polo fans worldwide are now on the edge of their seats and heating up the Jiffy Pop, looking forward to a Division One Championship Season under their new (and yet, not new) coaching leadership. GO DONS!