Water Polo

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.”

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
Los Altos High senior Kyle Sandell, above at left with ball, leads his team in scoring.

The Los Altos High boys water polo team is scoring goals at a furious pace this season, averaging nearly 14 per game. However, coach Seth Tasman takes more pride in how the Eagles are playing on the other end of the pool.

“The best thing is our defense,” he said. “Our goal is to hold teams to no more than five goals, and most games we’re doing that.”