Carpinteria High boys water polo began its season by going 3-1 at the Thousand Oaks High School Tournament this weekend in Thousand Oaks.
The Warriors kicked off the tournament with a 14-7 victory over Cleveland High on Friday, led by hat tricks from Jake Ehlers and Sky Korling. Meanwhile, Stefano Piccoletti was a standout on the defensive end to help the offense get in transition.
“Our ball movement and outlet passing got better over time, but I think the coaches expected to have a rougher showing for our first game of the opening season,” Carpinteria High head coach Russell Russo-LeVasseur said.
The Warriors followed that up with a back-and-forth 12-11 loss to Schurr High later in the day. Piccoletti racked up 12 blocks on the defensive end to lead the individual performers.
“What really put us in a bind were the late-game exclusions and 1-on-1 mismatches that caused us to lose our defensive momentum,” Russo-LeVasseur said.
“Schurr really found ways to isolate our players in the backcourt and draw exclusions. I thought our boys put together a good game and we hope to play them later during CIF.”
On Saturday, the Warriors began the day with an 11-7 win over Crespi, fueled by an efficient shooting effort and four first-quarter goals from Ehlers.
“I was very proud of how they stepped up on every possession and continued to show great stamina throughout,” Russo-LeVasseur said. “Our big strength is our speed and endurance and that shined this weekend throughout each game.”
The weekend then came to a close with a 12-7 win over St. Francis, with Korling picking up five goals and three steals while Ehlers had three goals and three steals of his own.
Chris Reed, Taison Lee and Massimo Bonilla-Zakosek all had strong defensive games, while Piccoletti once again led the team with nine blocks.
“I was very impressed with our composure throughout the game on defense and not allowing the ball to move easily around the perimeter,” Russo-LeVasseur said. “We are getting better every game and adapting on the fly much better… We still have a ways to go, but I’m happy with the growth over the weekend.”
