MHS Boys fall to Sunnyside, Girls win by shutout
Monache boys drop game to Sunnyside, girls win 16-0
The team was close, they had 11 seconds and were playing a man up but couldn’t capitalize.
A miscue sent the ball past a Monache High School boys’ water polo player’s head and time ran out.
The result was a 9-8 win in favor of the visiting Sunnyside Wildcats (1-6) Tuesday at Monache.
After leading 3-2 in the first quarter and then tying 4-all at half, the Wildcats took an 8-5 lead in the third quarter for the largest lead of the game. But it was short-lived thanks to a goal from Nicholas Ervin before time expired.
Monache (1-6) came out strong in the fourth, making it a one-goal game with a goal from Cohen Cotton in the first minute. Cotton tied the game 8-all with 3:47 to go and it looked like the Marauders were in position for the comeback but another miscue sealed their fate. Monache High School’s Jack Lobue looks to pass during a boys’ water polo game against Sunnyside High School, Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Monache High School.
Less than a minute after Cotton tied the game, MHS’ goalkeeper’s throw to a teammate went unnoticed and was scooped up by a Sunnyside player. With the goalie out of the cage, it became an easy game-winner for the Wildcats.
Cotton, Jack Lobue,and Jared Ojeda were the team’s top scorers with two goals each. Also scoring a goal apiece for the Marauders was Julian Perez and Nicholas Ervin.
Despite the outcome, first-year head coach Paul Suhovy noted the potential shown in his team from the game.
“This team tells me that we have hope because it was a good game,” Suhovy said. “And our guys, they know what they need to work on and in practice that’s what we’ll work on. This game tells me that in the future they’ll want to win more.”
The boys water polo program at Monache continues to be in rebuild mode and it shows in the team’s age. Suhovy said the starters are made up of a majority of underclassmen with just one junior and one senior.
“Lot of young talent but we have the talent,” Suhovy said. “The season’s been tough in the beginning but it’s been good.”
Ojeda, Ervin and Cotton have become players Suhovy said he can turn to for leadership.
On Cotton, Suhovy said, “Cohen, he’s our sophomore in the group but he has the heart. He has the passion. He never wants to get pulled out. He always gives me more than a 100%. And if I tell him to do something, he will do it.”
The season remains young for Monache with the team beginning East Yosemite League play Sept. 30 with a home game against Tulare Union but Suhovy has big things in mind for the Marauders.
“This is just preseason,” Suhovy said. “We’re trying to prove that we can make it to Valley, and I’m pretty sure we’ll be the youngest team in Valley. And that’s what we’re trying to prove. We’re trying to prove that don’t just look at us cause we’re young, we’re fighting to be better. “
GIRLS WATER POLO
There was no answer from Sunnyside High School girls’ water polo team in Monache’s 16-0 shutout of the visiting Wildcats in Tuesday’s non-league game at home.
The Marauders’ opened the game with a goal in the first 45 seconds then went on to score six goals in both the first and second quarters for a 12-0 lead at the half. Two goals in the third and two more in the fourth rounded out the team’s scoring
Claire Schrein led the team with four goals PHOTO BY while Kalina Weaver had three. Ava Lobue, Isabel Surherland, Regan Azevedo and Tracy Mccoy finished with two goals each. Jasmine Grigsby also chipped in a goal.
“We were able to run things that we don’t always run and it was nice to get every girl in there, play a lot,” MHS girls head coach Kyla Conway said. “Girls got to play positions they’re not used too to practice different things. Had four different goalies, so girls who always wanted to play goalie, they got to play. It was kind of a good time for the girls to feel confident and try different things.”
Outside of a loss in the first game of the season, Monache (10-1) is on a 10-game win streak with two games to go before they begin East Yosemite League play. They host Tulare Union Sept. 30 for their first EYL game.
“I feel like there’s quite a few good teams in EYL so every game will be a good game and it’s going to be a fight,” Conway said. “It’s going to be a fight to see who can come out on top.”