Marauders continue mastery over Grizzlies in pool

The last time the Monache and Granite Hills boys’ water polo teams collided in the pool, it was a fairly one-sided affair. The Division II champion Marauders smoked the Grizzlies, 15-2, behind a battering ram of experience.

But Monday night was a slightly different story. Much of the experience was gone and the Grizzlies entered Monache’s pool grounds hoping to sneak up on them.

“We just tried to come in here and hold our weight and give these guys a tough match,” Granite assistant coach David Gong said. “Monache is an accomplished program. Our boys know it’s not gonna be easy.”

Though the result was the same — Monache handled their foes in a 12-4 victory — the attitude seemed different. Despite blanking out in the opening quarter as Monache built a 5-0 lead behind Matt Lalanne’s game-high four quick goals and a fifth by Kevin Cosart, the Grizzlies seemed undeterred.

“Granite Hills has improved quite a bit,” Monache coach Brandon Weaver said. “I thought they played a great game against us and I was happy we kept the momentum going.”

Granite held the Marauders to one goal in the second period — an easy shot by Scott Rodat on a quick counter-attack that had plagued them for most of the first half.

The Grizzlies fired back as Erik Bartlett got them on the board with a blind toss from the hole while being double-teamed by Lalanne and Garret Blocher.

Blocher would help get Monache back on track in the third period, however, as he was swamped by Mitchell Rice and Granite goalie Jon Orosco. Blocher nailed the ensuing penalty shot to put Monache up 9-2.

“We did a good job of getting mismatches on them and then capitalized on them,” Weaver said. “I think (Granite) stiffened their defense a bit so we made adjustments in the third quarter.”

Monache hole set David Jacobs wrestled the ball away from Granite hole guard Austin Jones and lobbed it softly over Orosco’s head early in the third.

Colton Conway followed that by scoring the first of his three goals by beating the pack for another easy shot.

Bartlett ricocheted his second goal off the left post before Granite would go on to score two straight goals early in the fourth quarter. Granite driver Mitchell Rice took off ahead of the field and drew a penalty shot, which Bartlett took and nailed for his team-high third goal.

Rice then scored moments later from the left wing to bring Granite, who was missing starter Fabian Ascencio, within 9-4.

“Erik is one of the most dominant offensive player in the league,” Gong said. “And Mitchell, pound for pound, is the best all-around player in the city.”

Gong said the junior Bartlett, who is often double- and triple-teamed in the hole, still managed to score 24 goals in the past four games.

At the very least, the Marauders showed they were the deeper team in the fourth quarter as Conway added two more goals and Geoff Camarena scored his lone goal while sitting wide open from four meters out.

“Sometimes it’s not the X’s and O’s, it’s the Jimmys and the Joes and we just don’t have the gene pool to pick from,” Gong said. “But we’re coming along.”

Monache (2-4, 1-0 EYL) visits Exeter on Wednesday while Granite (2-3, 0-1) will play Tulare Union.