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Published on 11/23/1998 All articles from this issue

St. Francis boys claim CCS crown

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By Craig Wentz

Special to the Town Crier

Water Polo Playoffs

he St. Francis athletic program has been so strong for so long, it's hard to tell which teams haven't won Central Coast Section crowns.

Last Saturday the St. Francis boys water polo team captured its first CCS title, beating No. 4 Menlo 10-8 in overtime for the Division II championship at Saratoga's West Valley College.

"From the beginning, this team had the strength and desire to win it," said fourth-year coach Terry O'Donnell. "It was our goal to win a championship."

The Lancers (28-9) used strong defense in overtime to keep high-scoring Menlo (25-11) off the scoreboard. St. Francis senior Brian Avon tallied the match-winner with 30 seconds left in the first overtime and Rob Morris iced the title in the second overtime of the Lancers' first-ever CCS final appearance.

Sophomore Steve Lipinski, who broke the school season record with 126 goals, had four goals against Menlo as the Lancers jumped out to a 5-3 halftime lead.

St. Francis, which featured only three seniors, also set a school record with 28 wins.

SF girls come up short

The No. 3 St. Francis girls (25-1) made their first ever CCS water polo final appearance last Saturday at West Valley, but they ran into rugged No. 1 Menlo (27-4) and lost 6-3.

"We had a great season," said St. Francis coach Steve Yamamoto. "Our objective was to make the finals and we did."

With the match tied at 1-all, Menlo utilized its team speed and experience to overcome the Lancers by scoring two goals in 19 seconds at the start of the third quarter for a 3-1 lead.

Lauren Rueberry and Tiffany O'Farriell added Lancer goals in the fourth to cut the margin to 5-3. But Jenny Booth of Los Altos helped Menlo stay on top.