Gregori’s Britton named Bee’s Boys Water Polo Player of the Year

He was Matt Corgiat’s not-so-secret weapon, an exceptional swimmer with superb tactical skill whom the Gregori High School water polo coach could move about the pool.

In some respects, Andrew Britton was too good for his own good.

After staking the Jaguars to a large lead, Britton, one of the top offensive talents in the Stanislaus District, often went to the bench, an act of mercy by Corgiat and his rising program.

“I would use him all over the pool. That’s what you do when you have the most talented player,” Corgiat said. “Offensively, he could go at the center position; he could be an attacker or a driver. Sometimes, like in basketball, we would have him move and go to a post-up situation. It was really, ‘How best can we use him?’ ”

Here’s a strong position on a player capable of playing so many: Britton is The Modesto Bee’s Boys Water Polo Player of the Year. The junior had a team-high 117 goals despite sitting out most second halves during the Modesto Metro Conference season.

He was that good, and so were the Jaguars.

Gregori recorded its second consecutive 24-win season under third-year coach Corgiat, who had four players named to the all-conference team.

The Jaguars went 12-0 in MMC play, garnered a No. 6 seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I tournament and defeated visiting McClatchy of Sacramento 16-7 in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals.

“We weren’t the biggest of teams. We looked like misfits,” Britton said. “To compete and push others and come out with the win most of the time, that was special to me.”

The lynchpin was Britton, a CIF State-qualifying swimmer and blossoming water polo talent. Britton averaged nearly four goals per game and was named the MMC’s MVP.

“Anytime you get over 100 goals in a season, it’s impressive,” Corgiat said. “What’s even more impressive, literally, in all 12 of our MMC games, he played about half of those. Really, other than Downey, every team we played, my starters only played half the time because we would be up by so many. That should give you some perspective. I could have kept him in and let him rack up goals, but that wasn’t the right thing to do.”

Corgiat forecasts even a tougher decision regarding Britton’s future at the next level. The coach said Britton should have college options in swimming, water polo or both.

One of those paths could lead to a Division I water polo program. Corgiat is eager to see how the next year unfolds.

“Andrew is one of those players that could play at any level. He could be as good as he wants to be,” Corgiat said. “Playing Division I is the hardest, obviously, but I think he could do it.”

Britton has proved he’s capable of meeting every challenge. He raised his game by diving into the pool with tougher competition. He participated in the Olympic Development Program and played with Big Valley, a Stockton-based club. Big Valley pushed SoCal Black, one of the top clubs in the nation, at the Junior Olympic tournament, losing 6-5 in a shootout.

“I’ve always enjoyed water polo, almost more than swimming. It’s the intensity and the camaraderie,” Britton said. “You’re not staring at a black line on the bottom of the pool. This summer, being able to compete on two elite teams, that boosted my confidence. That told me I could compete at the highest levels.”

Britton isn’t one to rest on his laurels. Whether it’s swimming or water polo, Corgiat hasn’t met a finer competitor.

“He’s not the most outspoken guy, but he wants it just as bad as anybody else – and he’ll fight you for it,” Britton said. “The character of him as a young man is a huge reason why he’s so successful. He’s just well-balanced, motivated and super talented, yet so humble and willing to be coached.”

This story was originally published December 22, 2016 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Gregori’s Britton named Bee’s Boys Water Polo Player of the Year."