Willow Glen Resident

Cover Story

Photograph by Dave Stephenson

Willow Glen junior Sam Brandt tossed in the game-tying goal then moments later fired in the go-ahead goal to lead the Rams to a thrilling 9-8 win over Aptos in the CCS playoffs. Willow Glen lost a game later to Sacred Heart Prep to face elimination.

Polo Power

Thriller in Willow Glen with moments on the clock

By Mike Barnhart

Sam Brandt, Willow Glen's top goal-scorer all season, was doing what he does best in a Central Coast Section Division II water polo game last week.

The talented junior was nearly unstoppable, scoring seven goals in the Rams' 9-8 triumph over visiting Aptos on Nov. 6.

"Sam definitely was our go-to guy. He's not an easy player to stop," said Willow Glen coach Trevor Wiens.

Brandt's last two scores, both in the final 1:10 of the fourth quarter, were the biggest. Trailing 8-7 coming out of a timeout, Brandt fired in the game-tying goal. Moments later, senior Charlie Kane made a steal and Wiens called timeout. Brandt drilled what proved to be the game-winner with 12 seconds remaining.

Another Willow Glen senior, Dustin Shean, made a steal before the Mariners could take another shot, preserving the Rams' first CCS playoff victory since 1989, when Wiens was a senior on the team.

"The defense played very well," Wiens said. "Kane played outstanding, and Shean did, too. The goaltending with Kyle Tom has been good all season."

Willow Glen built a 4-1 lead partway in the first quarter, but Aptos recovered and tied the game 4-4 by halftime. Aptos led by one after three periods, but Willow Glen outscored the Mariners 4-2 in the fourth quarter.

Senior Geoffrey DuBridge accounted for the two Willow Glen goals that Brandt did not score against Aptos, and he tallied the lone Ram goal against top seed Sacred Heart Prep in a quarterfinal game last Saturday.

The Gators improved their record to 24-3 by sinking the Rams 15-1 and advancing to the semifinals Nov. 13 at Lynbrook. Meanwhile, Willow Glen finished the season with a 17-9 record.

Willow Glen played in the CCS Division II tourney last season, but lost a first-round game to Burlingame. The game marked Willow Glen's first appearance in the tournament since 1989. The school dropped the program after the 1989 season, but reinstated it several years later.

"It's neat see this program grow," reflected Wiens, who resuscitated the program in 2004 and, along with assistant coach Brian Balistreri, has helped it get healthier each season.

"When we took this program over, it had six players," Wiens noted. "This year we had 28."

The team's fours seniors--Josh Dombro, Kane, DuBridge and Shean--have been with Wiens and Balistreri all four seasons.

"Their dedication and work ethic has been extraordinary," Wiens said of the four fourth-year players. "They have been models for the younger players."

In addition to the four seniors, the 2007 Willow Glen squad featured sophomore Luke Lebaron and five juniors--Brandt, Kane, Tom, Chris Green and Chris McCarthy. To experience the environment of the CCS tournament, Wiens promoted five sophomores from the frosh-soph team, Brent Gahn, Michael London, Marcus Ensweiler, Michael Holback and Kevin Arndt.

Girls water polo

Presentation, seeded No. 12 in Division II, went on the road to Aptos for its first-round game against No. 5 Soquel. The Panthers lost 11-3 to the host Knights.

Members of the Presentation team included seniors Jane Riley, Sara Shapero, Maritza Nelson, Diana Pearson, Kaitlyn Mansker and Christina Simard and juniors Rachel Robledo, Kelsey Schroeder, Danielle Medeiros, Erica Hofer, Lauren Dewitt, Rachele Caserza, Annemieke Kerstens, Katie Parissenti and Erica Bruno.