Grizzlies girls, Rocklin boys' water polo advance to section championship

The Granite Bay High Grizzlies girls' water polo team is in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Championship, along with the Rocklin Thunder boys, after each team won their respective semifinals matches on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Grizzlies girls won 12-7 against Woodcreek on Tuesday following a dominating 14-3 win over Lincoln High School of Stockton last week. Junior Avery Moll had seven goals against the Timberwolves. This is the first time in history that the girls have made it to the section title game. "I couldn't be more proud about how we've come together bond-wise on the team and how everyone has their back," coach Tyson Frenn said. "We had a two-week run in our season when we were in a funk and dropped a game to Oak Ridge, but the girls have been resilient and pulled themselves out of that." The Sierra Foothill League most valuable player, Natalie Wilcox, has also been a big help offensively while on the defensive end Ella McCarron has helped play a press, which has made the counter attack work more effectively. On the boys' end, the Grizzlies lost in the semifinal game on Wednesday to Rocklin High 8-5. Both squads were tied 4-4 at halftime, but the Thunder scored two goals in the third quarter to open the game up leading to their victory. Senior Chris Nihart scored eight goals in each of the first two playoff games against River City High and Rio Americano High. Fellow seniors Ethan Scifres and Ryan Bousfield came in big defensively in those matchups. "We've done an amazing job getting 20 wins and winning at home," Frenn said. Rocklin High The Thunder boys' team is in the section finals for the first time in school history following a win over Granite Bay. Rocklin won its first playoff game last Friday 9-8 over Woodcreek following a first round bye. Junior Dallin Poduska had five goals against the Timberwolves while senior goalkeeper Christian Braum had eight saves. "Making section finals is something me and my teammates have been working for since freshman year and it's a nice present for all the hours of hard work we put in during season and off season," Braum said. Rocklin was led all season by senior Hank Wildenradt, totaling 117 goals in 30 games. On the defensive end, senior Eric Ryu has 59 steals while juniors Cameron Reed and Kale Irby have also played a big role. "It would be great to see this senior class off with a section banner and they definitely deserve it," coach Scott Bergemann said. Woodcreek High The Timberwolves boys' team fell in the Division I quarterfinals last Friday to Rocklin High in a game that came down to the final quarter of play. Woodcreek kept it close and was tied with the Thunder 6-6 but gave up two goals in the final seven minutes of play. "I am extremely proud of the way the boys played and how they represented their families, their team, their community and themselves with integrity and honor, which is something we stress in the program," coach Christopher D'Arienzo said. "Everyone who is connected with the team can be and is proud of the young men they have shown themselves to be." Woodcreek made it to the section playoffs in 2018 and 2019 going out in the semifinal and quarterfinal rounds, respectively. This season, the Timberwolves were led in goal scoring by senior Jackson Carter and in assists by junior Caden Rutan. The girls' team made it to the Division I semifinals before going out on Wednesday in a 12-7 loss to Granite Bay High. Their top goal scorer this season was senior Riley Eaves who also led in assists while junior goalkeeper Emily Jones led in blocks. Both teams went undefeated at 6-0 in Capital Valley Conference play. "A big key to our success this year in league play was our work in the off-season and throughout the pandemic," D'Arienzo said. "We were also led by a group of 16 seniors, both boys and girls, who for the last two years have made efforts to create a positive environment." Del Oro High The Golden Eagles had both their boys' and girls' teams qualify for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. The boys lost in a close 14-13 contest against Bella Vista in the Division II quarterfinals while the girls fell 8-6 to Ponderosa in the semifinals. On the girls' side, junior center defender Heidi Green had eight goals, four assists and four steals while senior Annelise Lubiens and sophomore Jane Lubiens combined for 15 more goals. The boys made it to playoffs in 2019, also losing in the quarterfinal round while this was the girls' first trip to the postseason since 2018.