09/10/07 ~ B - Water Polo
Schmitt Recap

Clovis: L
Lincoln: W
Golden West: W
Mitty: W
Lodi: W

Valley Christian entered the 32 team John Schmitt Memorial Tournament ranked #9 in the CCS and looking to improve on that ranking. The Warriors ended up with four wins and a loss in the tournament, as they seemed to improve with each game.

Facing Clovis High School in the first game the Warriors were hoping to set things off on the right foot. However, the Warriors were not able to connect on any of their five extra-man advantages and they missed a 5-meter penalty shot toward the end of regulation that would have tied the game. Although the Warriors out-shot Clovis 18 to 10, they were only able to beat the outstanding goalkeeping of Clovis four times. The final score was 6-4 in favor of Clovis High School.

In the second game, the Warriors jumped all over Lincoln HS of Stockton early and often closing out the game 14-5. Junior, Tim Lin, scored his first varsity goal to end the game while the Warriors were lead in scoring by Shayne Fleming's four goals, while Brandon Picone and Jared Clapham chipped in and scored 3 goals each. Aidan Lenihan added 4 assists while the Warriors welcomed back Ryan Stephenson from his injury to the starting lineup. Nikolas Kikuta sparked many VC counter-attacks with his pesky defense and quickness to offense.

In the third game, Golden West, located in the central valley, allowed the Warriors to jump to a six-point advantage before closing the gap to only one. However, Valley Christian was able to hold onto the lead and win the game 9-8. The Fleming brothers, Shayne and Casey, combined for a total of 14 steals in the game, making the difference on defense while Jared Clapham caused havoc inside on offense, scoring three goals.

Shayne Fleming continued to play outstanding versus WCAL rival Archbishop Mitty in the fourth game. Shayne ended the game with four goals but more importantly only allowed Mitty's star, Ryan Brown, one goal in the second half. The VC defense sparked a comeback after being down two goals going into the third period. With the game tied after three periods, VC stepped up and pulled away with an 11-9 victory. Shayne led the game with five goals while Aidan Lenihan scored two. However, the key to the game was the strong bench play from Alex Higginbotham, Andrew Alderette, and Casey Fleming as they sparked life into the Warriors and wore Mitty down. Alex Higginbotham had a goal, assist, and steal off the bench while Andrew and Casey provided strong defense.

The final game was versus Lodi HS. The Warriors won 14-4 while six athletes were able to score. The game was dominated from start to finish by the Warriors while every Warrior on the roster contributed to the game. Aidan Lenihan led scorers with four while Shayne Fleming contributed with four assists and seven steals.

Valley Christian is off to its best start ever at 5-1 (2-0 in CCS play) and hoping to continue to improve with each game. Valley Christian has outscored its opponents 69-38 this 2007 season and is hoping to add to that margin.