Peltzer's 5 goals secure city title

There’s something about a water polo match whenever Porterville and Monache boys take the pool.

It’s usually unpredictable, down to the wire and downright intense.

“It always is,” Porterville coach Mickey Goularte said. “Even when one team is kind of an elite team, it’s always close.”

The 200 or so fans crowded around the chain link fence surrounding the pool came looking for a dogfight and they got one in a 10-8 knockdown, drag-it-out brawl of a game that ended in Porterville’s favor.

“It’s a rivalry and they play harder because they all wanna win,” Monache coach Brandon Weaver said. “A more closely matched game is gonna be more physical because there’s less counters, you play more offense and you play more defense a little more than in a game where you’re way better than your opponent.”

Though the Panthers now hold the bragging rights in town having beaten their nemesis twice in EYL action, fans could argue until their faces are a shade of Marauder blue that it could’ve gone either way.

Just like the first time they met on Oct. 12, Porterville held the lead throughout with Monache nipping at the heels. Porterville driver Luke Peltzer scored three of his game-high five goals in the opening quarter to take a 3-2 and send an early message that the Panthers fully intend to sprint.

“We didn’t have as much speed,” Weaver admitted. “I had to throw some less experienced, faster people in the pool.”

Goularte thought both squads brought the horses, however.

“Monache swims a lot and get up and down the pool quickly,” he said. “It’s one of their strengths and it’s one of our strengths. I don’t think either team really won that battle. I think Porterville and Monache are the best-conditioned teams in the league.”

It showed in the fourth quarter as both squads were still racing down to the final ticks on the clock. Monache’s Colton Conway bounced one of his team-high three goals off the cross bar to get within 9-7.

But Peltzer, a sort of Panthers Energizer Bunny, responded with perhaps the game-sealing goal as he drew Monache goalie Evan Thomas out of the box and threw a windmill shot over Thomas’ head into the net for a three-point lead.

“That’s just Luke; that’s the way he plays,” Goularte said. “He had the energy level up for this game. Between him and Dakota (Schieler), one of those guys are gonna open up and score.”

Schieler did his part by adding three goals for Porterville, one in which he somehow emerged out of a cadre of four Marauders defending him in the hole and whipped it into the net in the third quarter. Schieler scored his other two in the second period, which ended after Alec MacIsaac scored with four seconds remaining to give the Panthers’ a 7-3 lead.

“That goal was huge,” Goularte said. “You saw the second half and we needed that cushion. We knew they weren’t gonna just play dead. We really wanted to open it up to a five-goal lead and snuff out the momentum, but we couldn’t do it.”

Monache scored five times in the second half while keeping in check the Panthers, who opted for a more controlled, preventive offense.

“It was a matter of adjusting to what they were doing,” Weaver explained. “But Mickey did a great job maintaining his lead and keeping us from coming all the way back.”

David Jacobs twice powered into the hole for his two scores and Conway squeezed one of his in at an impossible angle to start the comeback.

Down 10-8, Monache had the advantage in a man-up situation but Matt Lalanne’s heave inside the one-minute mark reached Joey McIntire’s outstretched arms to end a series of rushed shots.

“We drew two kickouts and we probably didn’t score on them because instead of using the man-up the way we’re supposed to, we needed a quick score to get back in the game,” Weaver said. “By our own effort to score quickly, we kinda blew our opportunities.”

Jordan Reader added a goal for Porterville (10-2 EYL) while Lalanne finished with two and Kevin Cosart pitched in one for Monache (9-3 EYL).