Rangers end Marauders’ run, again
Monache falls 12-11 to Redwood
For the second year in a row, Monache High School girls water polo’s chance at a Valley title died at the hands of Visalia’s Redwood after the sixth-seeded Rangers upset the third-seeded Marauders 12-11 in double overtime of a CIF Central Section Division II quarterfinal game Friday at Monache.
It was a rematch of last year’s Div. II Valley title game — that Redwood (20-11, 10-0 West Yosemite League) had also won 8-7 in double overtime — and it nearly felt like another Valley title game with neither team able to hold off the other and late goals for leads from both teams. Monache (18-13, 5-3 East Yosemite League) had a chance to put the game away in the fourth quarter after senior Emily Adame lobbed the ball in to tie the score at 8-all and then junior Nevaeh Castillo scored on an assist from sophomore Ava Lobue to give the Marauders a one-goal lead with a minute, 19 seconds left in the game.
But in the final seconds of the fourth, after playing good defense, Redwood’s Jamison Bueno managed to score and send the game into overtime.
In the first 3-minute overtime, Monache scored quickly with freshman Regan Azevedo scoring off an assist from junior Tracy Mccoy but a minute later the Rangers’ leading scorer, Skylar Ford, tied the game up with a goal. It took the Marauders less than 30 seconds to score, this time it was senior Emily Chapman’s turn to score after Adame’s shot was deflected straight to her. But just like Chapman, Redwood was able to score with six seconds left on a goal from Emma Peters after a Rangers’ shot was deflected near her.
But already with several of their starters out due to ejection, Monache was limited in the second overtime and after a goal from Ford for a Redwood lead, the Marauders were unable to score and the final shot of the game from MHS senior Katie Land was easily scooped up by the Rangers’ goalie as the clock wound down.
“We just had too many girls in foul trouble and it was nothing anybody did, we did it to ourselves,” MHS head coach Brandon Weaver said. “At the end of
it, we just had too many starters on the bench and they had too many starters in the pool and that eventually wears on you, and they end up there with the advantage at the end.”
Lobue, Claire Schrein and Maddy Chapman all received three ejections and had to come out of the game.
Emily Chapman led Monache in scoring with four goals while Lobue and Schrein had two. Azevedo, Adame and Castillo had one goal each. Junior goalkeeper Infinity Dignam had 11 blocks.
“Our team definitely competed well,” Weaver said. “This is a repeat of the Valley championship game last year. It went overtime again this year. It just shows how strong the programs are. I think Division II is actually an extremely competitive division.”
The biggest lead for either team came in the first minute of the game when Lobue and Chapman scored back-to-back goals for a 2-0 Monache lead. But after Redwood scored three goals straight to end the first ahead 3-2, neither team could manage more than a one-goal lead. The Marauders ended both the second and third quarters ahead 5-4 and 6-5, respectively.
This was both team’s third meeting of the season with Monache (18-13, 5-3 East Yosemite League) winning a game 8-7 back in August and Redwood beating the Marauders 10-3 at a tournament.
“I think it was good,” Weaver said about the season. “We would’ve liked to have a little bit better results. Point shy of beating Porterville and a point shy with Garces, and a point shy tonight. Lot of one-point losses. Last year we had a lot of one-point victories and that’s what I mean by the competitiveness. I think it’s a good thing ultimately even though it’s a little disappointing just because we’re competitors and we want to win. But athletically I think it was a good season.”
Top-seeded Porterville (23-5, 8-0 East Yosemite League) took down ninth-seeded Atascadero (13-15) 16-6 Friday in a CIF Central Section Division II quarterfinal game at home.
Porterville’s Rosemary Chapman scored a game-high five goals and had four assists while Alyssa Bodoh had three goals and three assists, Johanna Scheer had three goals and four steals, and Shyanne Rainey had three goals and two assists. Claire Lee and Karlie Wanmer also tacked on a goal each while Lee also had two assists and Wanmer had two steals. Starting goalkeeper Samantha Rainey had three blocks while Zandria Hilliard played the second half and had seven blocks.
On Wednesday, Nov. 7, Porterville hosts the winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal game between fourthseeded Morro Bay (17-4) and fifth-seeded Garces Memorial (16-7, 5-3 EYL).