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Friday, Nov. 06, 2009

Is eight enough? Seniors reunite with Seto, sights set on water polo section title

Andy Seto sits on a wooden bench at the farthest corner of the pool, black shades pulled over his eyes, hand on his chin. Studying. Watching. But mostly, appreciating the full-circle moment.

The Golden Valley coach follows the ball as it splashes in and out of teen-aged hands, stopping the workout every so often to remind players of where they need to be.

"That's you, Kollmann," Seto says to senior Taylor Kollmann, pointing to an area in the pool. "That's where you need to be."

The instruction, the players and the coach harken back to a simpler time at the Merced College aquatic center.

Five years ago, in this very pool, Taylor Rocha, Case Vyfhuizen, Kollmann and five other Golden Valley seniors got their start in water polo as seventh graders at Cruickshank Middle School.

They were enrolled in Merced youth water polo, an instructional league that focused on the basics of the game with promise of only a few tournaments.

Their coach: Andy Seto.

His first thought: Where are the kids?

"You could see the talent," said Seto, a former Merced and Merced College star. "Physically, they had everything you need to be good water polo players.

"Physically, they were maybe more mature than they should have been. They were monsters. Even at a young age, they all had great size, great speed and great chemistry.

"They were so talented that, if you could put them together on a team, you could tell they would be phenomenal."

And they have been.

This year, that is.

The eight seniors took their lumps last season, finishing 3-9 in Central California Conference play, missing the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs in Seto's first year as head coach.

"We were pretty ticked off," senior Greg Opinski said. "None of us wanted that to happen again. It motivated me, and I'm pretty sure it motivated everyone else.

"It was nice to go 12-0, instead of 3-9."

Golden Valley completed the 180-degree flip by capturing the conference crown, displaying its will and talent by winning every type of game along the way.

"I'm proud of the boys," Seto said. "Last year, there were times we made games close but didn't have a killer instinct. We'd be right there and then something would happen, and the game would get away from them.

"This year, we've been in every kind of game. We've been in close ones, we've been up the whole time, been down, and every game they found a way to win."

The turnaround can reach new heights on Saturday when the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs get underway at Johansen.

Golden Valley, the CCC's No. 1 seed, faces Fairfield at 2 p.m. Fairfield is the No. 3 seed out of the Monticello Empire League.

If Golden Valley wins, it would play the winner of Lodi-Downey on Wednesday.

The winner of that match could draw reigning Division I champ Yolo Davis in the semifinals.

Golden Valley was waxed 16-6 by Davis in the first round of its last playoff appearance in 2007.

"There's no nerves, just excitement," Vyfhuizen said. "The last time we went to playoffs I was a sophomore and we got killed."

GV certainly has the parts to compete with the Jesuits and Yolo Davises of the water polo world.

The eight seniors all bring a different strength to the pool, Seto said, and their bond has been carefully sculpted over the course of five years.

Rocha and Vyfhuizen are the crowning pieces in Golden Valley's offense, twin 6-footers who have combined for 146 goals and 68 assists.

"Me and him," Vyfhuizen said, nodding at Rocha, the CCC MVP, "we don't have to say much to each other. It comes as habit."

Tim Wells (34 goals, 56 steals) is the team's Energizer Bunny. He's rarely been subbed out of a game this season.

"He's an animal," Seto said without hesitation.

Opinski (22 goals) is a natural leader and one of the team's captains.

Kollmann comes from a decorated water polo family. His father, Kurt, now an administrator at Atwater, coached Golden Valley to its last CCC championship in 2006.

George Gargov can be used all over the pool, and is considered the team's sprint specialist.

Bert Crane is the goalie, and Stephen Wegley is the team's top bench player and only left-handed player.

"We've been playing so long together, you sort of know what's expected," Opinski said. "I like it because you know the other person's weaknesses and strengths. It's like we're a family."

A family of monsters.

Seto appreciates being the father-figure in this Speedo-clad motley crew.

"It was a pretty big day when I took over this group," he said. "It was one of those dream situations.

"It turned out to be my first head coaching job, and it turned out to be the group that I had worked with since they were seventh graders.

"It all came around full circle, I'd say."

James Burns is sports editor of the Sun-Star. He can be reached at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.