On October 29, the Archie Williams boys varsity water polo team matched up against Redwood High School at Tamalpais High School to compete for the MCAL title. The Giants, being the 20 best team in the country, were favored over the Falcons (the 41 best in the country) to win. 

In the first quarter, William Zean flung two goals past Archie Williams star goalie Haakon Lacy. May Matthews added another score later in the quarter, putting the Falcons in an early 0-3 deficit. After the quick points, both teams settled into a defensive deadlock. 

During the second quarter, Archie Williams sophomore Vincent “Vinnie” Krilanovich broke through the Giant’s defense to score twice. Senior captain Mac Berry joined him in the scoring attack, scoring a goal of his own. However, Zean and Mathews added to their totals as well, and the score reached 3-6 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Giants began to hit their stride. Redwood’s Preston Page joined in on his teammates scoring frenzy, recording two goals. Zachary Zedlitz also got one past Haakon, sending the score to 9-3. Following a fast break, the Falcons nearly scored a goal of their own, but Redwood goalkeeper Charlie Mills made a spectacular diving save. 

However, the fourth quarter was the final nail in the Falcons’ coffin. Matthews broke through three times to score, and Mills even managed a goal. Realizing their impending defeat, Haakon decided to leave his goalie position to play offense. When the horn sounded, signaling the end of the game, Redwood’s entire team jumped into the pool, celebrating their landslide win..

“We pretty much got our butts kicked. It happens. They were bigger and stronger than us yesterday,” said Falcon head coach Mathew Swanson.

Haakon attributes the loss to the overall strength of the Redwood players. 

“We have a really small team, and that really doesn’t help against Redwood, who have a lot of really big older guys. And, we weren’t able to stick to our game plan, especially when we got into foul trouble,” Haakon said. 

Mac agreed, but also considered injuries as a major part in the loss. 

“One of our top players got a concussion in the game. Another one of the players was hit in the head. He was out for like a quarter,” he said. 

The Falcons look forward to next season and remain optimistic about their chances.  

“The next three years, we’re definitely beating them. There’s no doubt in my mind,” Mac said. “We have three starting sophomores. They’re all great players, so they’ll definitely take over. We’ve got a couple great freshmen as well.” 

While his team lost, Swanson looked back fondly on the season. 

“Mac Berry and Jake Carrera were our leaders this year in the pool.  Haakon Lacy played great in the goal, and Vincent Krilanovich and Micah Sher were our muscle in the middle,” he said.

The Redwood Giants will face the Falcons again in the first round of the NCS tournament. The winner of that game will proceed to battle Miramonte High School.