MARTINEZ, CA - The Miramonte Matadors grabbed another victory for their season record with a 16-10 win over Alhambra. The Mats came out strong in the first quarter with explosive offense. Seniors Clay Smudsky and Trevor Whitsitt, and junior Grayson Judge fired in the first three goals for the Matadors, setting the stage for a fast-paced game.
It wasn’t until well into the first quarter when Alhambra’s Michael Bull snagged the first goal for the Bulldogs. While Alhambra struggled to make a comeback, the Matadors defense was brutal and ruthless.
“I think it was really hard to find opportunities to score because we haven’t played a team as good as Miramonte in a while,” said Bull.
Bull was an instrumental force in Wednesday night’s game; coming in clutch with two goals, five steals, and tenacious defense.
“I knew I had to put up an early goal to get the team going in the first quarter. Their defense was solid and was a huge lesson for us because it showed how we should be playing,” said Bull.
The Bulldogs managed to pull out and make a comeback in the second and third quarters after winning possession of the ball, and firing in a goal - the first of many goals to come that quarter - 30 seconds into game play.
“The first quarter was a struggle because we have a habit of playing up or down to the opposing team’s level, and we sort of wait to see what they’re going to do until we act,” said Bull. “But coming into the second and third the game was more about pride and proving what we could do at that point.”
The Matadors came back in the fourth quarter after facing a shortage of goals in the second and third.
“In the past Alhambra didn’t have a strong squad compared to this season," Judge said. "Coming into Wednesday night’s game we underestimated their game play, and they brought a good game to the table.”
The Matadors head into the first round of the North Coast Section Championships where they will take on Livermore Thursday night as the top seed. Wednesday night's game wrapped up Diablo Foothill play with the Matadors finishing with a 16-8 record.
“Going into the first round we have to treat this game like it’s the final regardless of what the team’s rank is," Miramonte senior Nick Coufal said. "Our focus in this game is to practice our execution and play with high intensity for four quarters.”
The Alhambra Bulldogs will also enter the Division 2 NCS Championships seated first with a season record of 18-6, while their opponent is undetermined the Bulldogs are a high contender to win the 2013 NCS D2 Championships
NCS Round-Up
Las Lomas
Two weeks ago the Las Lomas Knights shocked spectators with a miraculous 12-10 victory over Miramonte. Throughout the season the Knights have faced a loss in starters due to personal conflicts and injuries, but have managed to make a comeback from those setbacks.
In 2010 and 2011 the Knights claimed the NCS Division II Championship title, and petitioned up to Division I in 2012. However, they were eliminated in an upset in the second round against San Ramon Valley.
“SRV really put us in our place and we ended up losing which was a huge disappointment. That loss brought us back to reality and lowered our expectations," Las Lomas captain Spencer Creed said. "I think that’s what prepared us for the upcoming season, and we came in knowing that we could only focus on our own game.”
The Knights return to the 2013 season with a stronger squad compared to previous years, and are a crowd favorite coming into the 2013 NCS Championships. On Thursday night they will take on Heritage, and are seeded fourth behind De La Salle.
Campolindo
The Cougars wrapped up their league season with a (12-9) victory over Acalanes last Wednesday night. The Cougars will take on Mission San Jose on Thursday, and are seated second coming into the 2013 NCS Championships. In previous years the Acalanes Dons have secured second seed, but the Campolindo squad returns bigger and faster in the 2013 season with many more surprises to come in the final weeks of the 2013 season.
Monte Vista
Monte Vista suffered a loss to San Ramon last Thursday night, and grabbed a win over Foothill two weeks ago. The 2013 league season for the Mustangs was faced with a substantial loss in players due to graduating seniors.
“Coming into the season we had quite a few players without varsity experience, so it was a tough adjustment for them at first to get used to the different style of play," captain Matt French said, "but now after playing some tougher teams and building more team chemistry by playing together, everyone is on the same page and working as a cohesive unit.”
Although Monte Vista kicked off its season with tough competition against Las lomas and De La Salle, the Mustangs have a lot to offer in the pool, and will enter NCS as the eighth seed with a rematch against Foothill next Thursday night.
