Ripon water polo favored in its return to Division III section final

The Ripon High School boys water polo team is back in a Sac-Joaquin Section final.

And this time, the Indians will be a heavy favorite to claim the program’s first championship blue banner.

Sophomore Ty Wells scored six goals and senior Kole Gonzalez tallied four as No. 1 seed Ripon pummeled No. 4 Oakmont 17-11 on Wednesday morning in a Division III semifinal at Tokay High.

“From the beginning, all of my veteran players thought this would be a rough season. I told them to be patient and let’s see how things go,” Ripon coach Erik Zador said. “I think them knowing they had the potential to have the Division III title in their hands, they kept that in mind when things got difficult.

“For them, personally, this is great. It’s also great for the school that we still have a shot at a D-III section title.”

The Indians will face Valley Oak League nemesis Sonora, which upset second-seeded El Capitan 7-4 in the other semifinal. The Wildcats are a No. 6 seed.

The championship games will be played Saturday at the Roseville Aquatics Complex. The D-III final is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.

Shorthanded Ripon reached the Division II final last fall, losing a riveting match with powerhouse Rio Americano 16-15.

The Indians navigated the section tournament with just one bench player and then played the final quarter of the championship match with seven players after Wells fouled out. Rio Americano had a full complement of substitutes.

Though the Indians returned six of their eight players, Zador said it was difficult to judge this team’s trajectory: Was it capable of playing for another section championship? Or would the Indians fall back to the pack? So far, they’ve impressed, dispatching Christian Brothers in the first round despite missing one starter, and routing Oakmont with a quick-strike offense.

Ripon distanced itself from Oakmont early, building a 5-1 lead after one quarter and an 8-4 cushion at halftime.

Wells shouldered the scoring load in the second and third quarters, scoring all six of his goals. He had four of Ripon’s seven goals in the third quarter.

“Ty definitely stepped up in his role, and that was good to have,” Zador said. “He made some great goals, and that’s what we needed. Our offense was better today. They played well today.”

Noah Esenwein notched three goals, Nick Gagnon had two, while Daniel Esenwein and Diego Moreno scored one apiece.

Ripon has won its last six meetings with Sonora, including the last two by a combined 27-12. The Wildcats haven’t beaten the Indians since a 9-8 decision on Oct. 17, 2013.

“Sonora always has my attention,” Zador said. “When it’s a league rival, you never know. My boys could come out and have a bad first half and keep them in, or we could make bad mistakes and get into foul trouble.

“My guys could think they have this in the bag, but it’s my job to tell them we do not.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Ripon water polo favored in its return to Division III section final."