Granite Bay boys' and girls' water polo off to hot start in league play

Many local area teams recently began league play for water polo and none are off to a better start than Granite Bay High where the boys are 3-0 and the girls are 2-1 in the Sierra Foothill League. "I think the reason why we've had sustained success is because of how dedicated the athletes at Granite Bay are at grasping more knowledge of the game and are always asking all the right questions trying to work hard," coach Tyson Frenn said. Frenn is going into his fifth season coaching the girls' program and they have won the league title his first four years with the team. The boys have won three straight Sierra Foothill League titles. The Grizzlies boys are averaging nearly 13 goals per game and had a hard fought 6-5 win against Rocklin last Monday scoring the game-winning goal in the fourth quarter. The girls are playing solid on the defensive end, only allowing seven goals per game in their first 16 matchups. Their most recent match was a 9-4 win against Bella Vista in the Granite Bay tournament last Saturday. For the boys, senior captain Chris Nihart and sophomore Seth Bousfield have been key players offensively and for the girls, it has been senior utility player Natalie Wilcox and junior Avery Moll. Wilcox is a lefty outside shooter and an inside threat while Moll is a potential All-American candidate. The boys are currently competing at the Jesuit Classic Invitational and the girls' next match is Tuesday against Rio Americano at home. The boys are 8-3 and the girls are 12-4 overall. Rocklin High School Despite opening the Sierra Foothill League 1-2, the Rocklin Thunder boys still have more wins than any other team in the area and are currently first in the Sac-Joaquin Section Maxpreps rankings. Prior to their Sept. 25 loss to Jesuit in the Granite Bay Varsity Jamboree, the Thunder had won seven straight matches. They are led by senior attacker and captain Hank Wildenrad,t who has 64 goals, third most in the section, and 20 assists. In their recent loss to Davis on Tuesday, Wildenradt had three goals. "I would say the major factors that have led to my success are the great coaches that have been teaching me for the past four years and being on a very good team," Wildenradt said. "My attacking play is probably best when I'm moving in our dynamic offense." The girls are currently 12-9 on the season and have dropped their first three league games against Oak Ridge, Granite Bay and Del Oro. Going into the Granite Bay Varsity Tournament last week, the Thunder's leading scorer was senior Carla Smurthwaite with 35 goals adding 26 steals. They have also been helped by a solid defense, giving up just eight goals per game. One key defensive player has been senior Adrineh Smith. "This team is going to have to not be timid when playing league games," coach Brittney Hemphill said. "When it comes to tournaments, they play their best, but in league, they feel like so much is at stake to punch a ticket to sections this year. We want to win the league title and punch our ticket to section playoffs." The boys and girls will travel to Oak Ridge next Wednesday to continue league play. Woodcreek High School The Timberwolves are one of three teams, along with Rocklin and Granite Bay, who have both boys' and girls' squads with winning records. Both teams won their first league match against Inderkum on Sept. 27. The boys went 2-3 at the Villa Park Classic last weekend while the girls were 2-2 at the Granite Bay Varsity Tournament. The key players for the boys' side are senior center forward Jackson Carter, junior attacker Caden Rutan and senior goalkeeper Asher Millikan. The starting six field players competed in club water polo during the offseason, making it to the National Junior Olympics over the summer, and played for either Sacramento or American River's water polo club. For the girls, it is junior center forward Olivia Dam and senior defender Riley Eaves having a big impact. Nine of their 14 athletes also played together for the Sacramento Water Polo Club going to the National Junior Olympics. "As we head into league play, it is important for both teams to stay hungry and play our level of water polo at all times," coach Christopher D'Arienzo said. "Both programs have a goal of making deep playoff runs, but to do that, we need to stay healthy and focused." The Timberwolves' next matches are away at Antelope on Monday. Del Oro High School The Golden Eagles boys' team is currently second in the Sierra Foothill League after winning their opening two matches against Whitney and Oak Ridge last week and losing against Rocklin 15-7 on Monday. Their offense is scoring over 10 goals per game while only giving up less than eight defensively. The girls are 7-8 on the season but have won two of their first league matches, including a 9-6 win against Rocklin on Monday. Junior Heidi Green has been the leading goalscorer and senior goalkeeper Lauren DeJong has been an impact player, only allowing 123 goals in the first 17 games. Their next match is against McClatchy at home on Wednesday. "We are a young team with some starting sophomores, so we are developing our fundamentals and need to look to clean up turnovers we're making throughout the game if we want to go far in league and into sections," coach Megan Hertel said. Whitney High School While the Wildcats have yet to win a Sierra Foothill League match, they do have seven wins outside of league and their loss to Oak Ridge on Monday was a 15-14 nailbiter. Their leading goal scorer is senior Unai Bassa with 12 while the goalkeeping duo of junior Jack Schmatjen and senior Brendan Craft have combined for 32 saves. The girls have not won a match this season but have had great play from goalkeeper Megan Pelligrini and field players Ally Wright and Makena Lendahl. Their most recent match was a 17-2 loss against Oak Ridge on Monday. "I just want to make sure all the girls are improving and learning every game," coach Rachel Jaeger said. "If we make mistakes, we learn and correct them to make us better for future play." Both teams will play their next match against Granite Bay at home on Wednesday. Roseville High School The Tigers' boys are 2-3 on the season, following a 22-7 loss in their league opener on Sept. 27 to Bella Vista. Their two wins have come against Laguna Creek and Del Campo. The girls have yet to win a game at 0-4 but have scored 8.5 goals per game offensively. They will both play their next Capital Valley Conference game on the road Monday against Inderkum. West Park High School This is the first full season that the Panthers have played as the girls only had a one-month season in the spring but the boys didn't get to play a game. The girls' team is currently 8-7 and is led by junior Anela Thomas, who has been scoring goals, and sophomore Anika Jorgensen. The boys are 1-11 and have had solid play from freshman Sai Kamesh and junior Drew Drumheller, along with others. "This season has been the most physical play I've seen in a long time," coach Brian Xicotencati said. Xicotencati is the founder of Water Polo Strong, an academy for water polo strength and conditioning in Sacramento. "We lack conditioning and ability to swim but at the end of the day, most of these kids are really new to the game," Xicotencati said. "So we have a lot to learn."