Posted Nov. 11, 2015 at 8:53 PM
Updated Nov 11, 2015 at 8:54 PMLODI — The top two boys water polo teams in the Tri-City Athletic League will play for Sac-Joaquin Section titles on Saturday, both seeking a little redemption.
For the first time in 24 years, Lodi High made it to the Division I championship. Thanks to realignment, St. Mary’s will play in the Division II championship. The Rams won the Division I title in 2009.
Lodi rallied to beat Granite Bay 10-9 in their semifinal Wednesday at Tokay High, scoring three goals in the last four minutes.
“It was really exciting,” said junior Jack Gillespie, who scored the go-ahead goal. “I’ve never been in a game like that before. This is the first year I’ve played with this group of guys. They’re a year older than me.
“I was just hoping it would go in. I was not trying to do anything special.”
The No. 2 Flames (22-3) will face top-seeded Davis (23-6) at 4:30 p.m. at Woodcreek High in Roseville on Saturday. Davis defeated Lodi 12-9 on Oct. 1.
Lodi coach Courtney Porter said his team is a little deeper now that it was six weeks ago. He pointed to Wednesday’s clutch play of Gillespie and Matt Orgon as game-changers. Orgon led the Flames with three goals.
“For them to score and put goals ahead like that, it’s a big moment in their lives,” Porter said. “I’m happy for them.
“We were scrambling the whole game. We had two players in foul trouble. I was really happy for those guys because we have worked with them the last couple months. Jack’s really come off the bench more at the end of the season in that situation, for games like this.”
St. Mary’s 21, Merced 8
St. Mary’s scored 11 goals in the third quarter to end the Bears’ (24-4) season. The Rams (15-10) earned a spot in the Division II title game against five-time defending champion Rio Americano (17-11), which beat Rocklin 9-7 in their semifinal. Saturday’s finale is at 2:30 p.m. at Woodcreek High.
“We’re not too surprised,” senior hole set Cole Hutz said. “We’re looking forward to our final game.”
The Rams lost to Rio Americano 9-8 on Oct. 17 at the Jesuit Invitational. But that exposure, and the momentum from Wednesday’s rout of the Bears, help give St. Mary’s confidence.
“We’ve been in some high-intensity games this year,” coach Shane Mahoney said. “We’ve been in a tournament championship. Experiences like that help them stay calm.”
Senior Luis Araya led the Rams with eight goals. Freshman Matthew Hosmer had five, scoring three times in the Rams’ 11-goal third period. Hutz added four.
Saturday will certainly be special for the Mahoney family. Lodi goalkeeper Reiss Mahoney, who had two big blocks among his six saves Wednesday, hopes to see big brother Shane Mahoney lead St. Mary’s to a title before the Flames do the same.
Lodi beat St. Mary’s twice during TCAL play.
“It would have put us in a different situation for playoffs if we hadn’t beat those guys,” Reiss Mahoney said. “Those games were our biggest competition.”