Boys water polo: Redwood rolls to NorCal semifinals
Jakob Engberg helped set the tone Tuesday during Redwood High’s return to the CIF NorCal Regional boys water polo playoffs.
After No. 8 seed Merced fired in the game’s opening goal, Engberg quickly put home the equalizer to start a 4-0 run that put the top-seeded Giants ahead to stay en route to a 15-11 victory over the Bears in the NorCal Division II opener.
Redwood will host No. 4 St. Francis in Thursday’s semifinal. St. Francis, which lost in the opening round of the 2024 NorCal D-I bracket, was an 11-8 winner against No. 5 Clovis West on Tuesday.
“This is when the games get more real, more competitive,” said Redwood senior captain Charlie Poser, who scored while battling to stay afloat against the Merced defense in the third quarter Tuesday. “We haven’t seen these teams before. We don’t have a scouting report.”
The Giants are on a quest to run the playoff gauntlet. They haven’t lost since their regular-season finale on Oct. 25 against Menlo, 12-10. That provided a tune-up for a postseason run during which the Giants have won the MCAL and North Coast Section D-I titles, and now hope to complete the trifecta with the NorCal crown.
Redwood, then the top seed, lost to No. 5 seed Clovis in the NorCal D-II semifinals last year.
“The loss to Menlo was a good check that we are able to lose,” Poser said. “We refocused since then for the playoffs, and we’re playing better.”
Sophomore captain Storm Jackson led Redwood with four goals, while Engberg and Isaac Nikfar each finished with three goals. Maddox McClellan added a pair of goals for the Giants, who also got scoring from Hudson Quirk and Zach Schuman.
The Giants looked to be in control of the their own destiny on Tuesday after Engberg’s opening goal. Jackson caught a lucky bounce after a block on a shot by McClellan came right to Jackson in front of the goal for the easy score and the 2-1 lead. Engberg then powered the ball past Bears netminder Eli Morison after a pass from Max Lippiatt, and McClellan scored on a counter attack for the 4-1 Redwood lead.
Merced rallied with a pair of goals before the end of the first quarter, but Redwood’s defense stifled any sustained comeback effort.
Jackson and Nikfar combined for eight goals in the second quarter as the Giants tightened their grip on the game, scoring from every angle, aided by crisp passing from McClellan, Jackson Monty, Engberg and Tyler Mahabir.
The Giants started the second half with a 3-0 run that started with Poser sneaking the ball past Morison, then Engberg taking an inlet pass from Mahabir for a shot from the middle of the zone. A brilliant one-handed grab by McClellan for a steal geared up the Redwood transition game, resulting in a goal from Quirk for an 11-5 Redwood lead in the third quarter. Redwood, which has made a trademark of steamrolling opponents most of the season, then eased the engine to the finish to focus on the next task at hand.
“I’m not going to play Division I college water polo, so this could be my last week of water polo,” Poser said. “I’m cherishing every moment this week. I’m not ready for it to end until we win the title.”
Around the county
San Marin saw its historic season come to an end Tuesday as the fifth-seeded Mustangs fell to No. 4 Turlock, 20-8, in the opening round of the NorCal D-III bracket at Modesto Junior College. The Mustangs (19-10) won the program’s first NCS D-II title during a season that saw the team set a school record for wins.