Spartans sink competition again Spartans sink competition again (October 21, 2005)

Some say MV squad ought to be in CCS

By Scott Campbell

In a dizzying three-minute stretch, Mountain View's boys water polo team showcased why it is the class of the El Camino Division.

Midway through the second quarter of their 15-4 road victory over Fremont on Oct. 18, the Spartans seemingly effortlessly went into what Mountain View coach Rafael Alapont called "attack mode."

Senior hole set Brian Bishop swiftly maneuvered out of a double-team, finding teammate Joseph Marino wide open to the left side of the net with only Firebirds goalie Cameron Clark to beat. Done. 7-1 Spartans.

Seconds later, Bishop found himself in a similar one-on-one situation with Clark and overpowered the goalie with a hard shot to the right corner of the net.

After another defensive stop led to an immediate counterattack, Mountain View struck again, with Spencer Fletcher slipping past a Fremont defender to receive Bishop's pass for the score.

"They were just beating us on fast breaks, just out-swimming our guys and then after that it was just kind of a downhill slope," said Firebirds coach Justin Kirk, whose team fell to 0-7 in league play.

Bishop, who paced the Spartans with four goals, and Fletcher would each strike for another score before quarter's end.

Seven goals in less than three minutes!

"When you get on a roll and you really get some momentum going, you can score a lot of goals really fast," said Fletcher, a sophomore hole set who finished with three goals.

Marino and junior driver Alex Grenier posted two scores each as Mountain View emptied its bench and spread its 15 goals among eight players.

The Spartans took an 11-1 lead into the half and never looked back, overwhelming hapless Fremont in what has become a rather routine sight in the El Camino Division.

Well on its way to another league title after a 7-0 start, Mountain View has been so dominant that the murmurs are growing louder that the team belongs in the De Anza Division.

Despite winning the 2004 El Camino Division Championship and bringing back Bishop, last year's league MVP, the Spartans declined the traditional ascent to the upper division, a decision that has spurred mixed emotions.

"I think we should've moved up, personally," said Bishop, "but our coach wanted to make CCS this year and I think that was a good way to make CCS."

With two league games remaining before the El Camino playoffs begin, the likelihood is high that Mountain View (15-3 overall) will earn its second consecutive CCS berth. But after last year's hasty exit, a 19-2 bludgeoning at the hands of No. 1 seed and eventual champion Bellarmine, the question remains whether the Spartans face a schedule tough enough to adequately prepare them for top opponents, teams which sneeze at an El Camino Division title.

Kirk, the Fremont coach, wonders if the Spartans have done themselves a disservice by remaining the king of lesser teams.

"It may not be fair to them being that they don't get to play with the kind of competition that they need to play with," said Kirk. "I definitely think they should be moved up."

Asked whether De Anza opponents would be a better test for his team, Alapont steered his answer to the future.

"Yeah, we'll move [up] next year, definitely," said Alapont. "No questions asked."

At the moment, while guarding against a late-season letdown, Mountain View's focus is on trumping its finish from last year.

"When we go to CCS, we want to win the first game," said Fletcher. "That's our goal so far.

"Hopefully we'll win that game and then see what happens from there."

E-mail Scott Campbell at sports@mv-voice.com

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