By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Ceres' boys water polo squad shares title
Placeholder Image
Coach Sonja Raynes and the Ceres High boys water polo team gathered in a storage shed after winning their final league game.

"Lets hold a parade," one player joked.

The Bulldogs earned a share of the Modesto Metro Conference championship with a 23-2 victory over Davis in Ceres on Tuesday, Nov. 2. They tied for first in the league standings with Beyer at 13-2.

"No Ceres team has ever taken first before," said Ceres senior Eric Scudder, who totaled 104 goals in 29 games during the regular season.

Added Raynes: "They worked real hard."

Seven different players scored against the Spartans (3-12).

Joey Rossi had seven goals.

Scudder had four goals, six assists and two steals.

Mike Polovin had four goals and two assists.

J.C. Reed had three goals.

Cody Frampton and Derek Stanhope each had two goals.

Kyle Fliflet had one goal.

Markus Richter had four assists and five steals.

Goalie Justen Harper had seven saves and two assists.

The Bulldogs outscored the Spartans 19-2 in the second half, including 12-1 in the final quarter.

Rossi had three goals, Scudder, Reed and Frampton each had two and Polovin, Fliflet and Stanhope all had one in the fourth.

Ceres tallied seven goals in the third quarter.

Polovin had three, and Reed, Scudder, Stanhope and Rossi each had one.

The Bulldogs led 4-0 at halftime as Rossi scored three goals, including two in the first, and Scudder scored once.

Dawgs lose in first round

Granite Bay, the Sacramento Valley League's No. 3 seed, eliminated Ceres High, the MMC's No. 3 seed from Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs on Friday at Solano College.

"We got manhandled," Raynes said.

The Grizzlies outscored the Bulldogs 5-1 in the first half and held on for an 8-4 victory.

"We let them get ahead in the first quarter and we weren't able to overcome that," Raynes said.

J.C. Reed scored twice, Rossi and Scudder both had a goal and Harper blocked nine shots for the Bulldogs.

"He (Harper) had a solid game," Raynes said. "He did not hurt us at all."

There were 17 kickouts in the game.

"We played nearly the whole fourth quarter without Joey and Markus," Raynes said.

Rossi picked up his third kickout in the first minute of the fourth quarter and was relegated to the bench for the final six minutes. Richter was also sidelined with foul trouble.

"I lost a lot of speed and a shooter," Raynes said.

Each team scored three goals in the second half.

The Bulldogs trailed 6-4 heading into the final quarter. - By DALE BUTLER / Staff Reporter of The Ceres (Calif.) Courier