Water Polo

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier

Mountain View High’s Jeremy Noel, above, looks to shoot against Lynbrook.

As the newest member of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division, the Mountain View High boys water polo team approached this season without expectations.

“We came in with the mindset of, ‘Let’s test it out and have fun,’” junior Tony Nardelli said of taking on the difficult De Anza a year after winning the SCVAL’s easier El Camino Division. “We didn’t have any pressure or stress – there’s nothing to lose.”

COURTESY of AMBER ALLEN-SAUER
Los Altos resident Archer Sauer, shown playing water polo for Homestead last fall, recently made the Olympic Development Program’s Pacific Zone Youth Team.

Los Altos resident Archer Sauer has started on the path to his dream of making the U.S. men’s Olympic water polo team. The Homestead High sophomore recently made the Olympic Development Program’s Pacific Zone Youth Team.

Acceptance in the program is highly selective; only 14 boys in each zone, comprising 22 counties, make the cut each year.

Courtesy of Mark Warren
The Los Altos High girls water polo team is all smiles after winning the CCS Division I final.

The Los Altos High girls water polo team went 0-3 against Mountain View in the regular season, but the Eagles beat the rival Spartans when it mattered most – in the Central Coast Section Division I final.

Second-seeded Los Altos held on for a 9-8 win over No. 1 Mountain View Saturday morning at Independence High, where both teams sought their first CCS title.

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
Senior Gabi Matafora-Adams’ 56 goals leads Mountain View High this season.

If there’s a girls water polo team in the Central Coast Section with a better trio than Mountain View High’s Gabi Matafora-Adams, Maddy Menard and Malena Nguyen, Spartans coach Drew Enlow hasn’t seen it.

“They are as good as any three players on any team in CCS,” he said. “They can all take over games. They can score, pass and play defense.”