Soquel High's girls water polo team gave up five answered goals to close the CIF Division I NorCal Regional quarterfinals on Tuesday night, as East Bay power Acalanes rallied for a 9-7 win to end the Knights' season.
Soquel High's boys water polo coach Trevor Wiens didn't have high expectations heading into the season. He started with a small, eight-player roster after a few seniors he thought might play didn't try out.
Any way you dice it, the Soquel High and Santa Cruz boys water polo programs played each other even in four meetings this season.
But the players and coaches' faces told the real story: It's not about how many times you beat your rival, it's about winning the most recent meeting.
The No. 3 seed Soquel High girls water polo team has some spectacular senior leadership. But to reach its third straight Central Coast Section Open Division championship match, the Knights were forced to rely on its youth.
Harbor High's girls volleyball team was pushed to the brink in a pair of thrilling, five-set wins over rival Soquel during the regular season. The Pirates made sure they didn't endure a similar scare on Halloween.