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Finally.
There was a collective sigh of relief coming out of Amador Valley, as the Dons football team got both their first points and first win of the season with a 32-28 win over Liberty on Friday night.
“We needed it so bad,” first-year coach Duncan Burgermeister said. “With such a young group, you worry about them just giving up.”
When Burgermeister got the job of running the football program at Amador following the departure of former coach Danny Jones, I wrote it was the best hire the school could have made.
And I think people are realizing it. A young team where two freshmen and a few sophomores are playing key roles, there were going to be some growing pains. Amador needed a coach that could bring the team along and learn every week.
Instead of panicking, Burgermeister let the team grow and develop. Considering the Dons scored on their first play from scrimmage this year only to see freshman Michael Harrington’s 65-yard touchdown called back and then not score any points in the first two games, one could understand if a sense of despair enveloped the team.
“I was wondering if we were cursed because we lined up wrong on the first play,” Burgermeister said, with a laugh. “But it was just a case of growing up. Against Livermore we had one senior starting. We knew we would get better as the year went on.”
Harrington and fellow freshmen Tyler Foley are not just on the varsity, but both are vital members of the team.
“It’s nuts,” Burgermeister said of the two freshmen. “You don’t see 14-year-olds playing with 18-year-olds too often. They are unique and different. Both are from great families that have a really good gene pool.”
Sophomore James Willis is running the offense at quarterback, and along with sophomores like Griffin Kenitzer and Riley Giddings, the team just needed to grow.
And with a young team, there’s always the need for a stabilizing influence. That came in the form of senior two-way lineman Calvin Albertson.
Albertson missed the first two games but was back Friday – and it was a big difference.
“That really helped,” Burgermeister said
Other older players like senior Jackson Krusi and junior Trent Goldsworthy also paced the Dons win over Liberty.
Willis was injured against Liberty and might miss a couple of games. Senior Ethan Riley, who started the first game for the Dons, came on for Willis and scored the winning touchdown.
“We actually played all three quarterbacks, and all three played well,” Burgermeister said of Willis, Riley and Adam Besh.
Next up is San Marin – an 0-4 team coming off a 21-15 loss to Oakland. There will be no letdown following the first win.
“We knew if we kept playing good defense and didn’t turn the ball over, good things would happen,” Burgermeister said. “But we know we could go back there and lose if we don’t play well.”
Girls’ water polo
The Falcons came into the Sierra Shootout as the 15th seed and went all the way to the finals before falling.
Foothill opened the tournament with a 7-6 win over Marin Catholic, and followed up with an 8-2 win over Christian Brothers. In the quarterfinals, the Falcons beat Granada 6-5 in overtime.
In the finals, Foothill came up just short against College Park.
Ashby Clark scored seven goals to lead Foothill, with Elise Chatman and Briana Gavril getting six goals each. Goalie Nandini Mondhe had 20 saves in the tournament and Amelia Fowler had eight steals.
The Amador junior varsity team took part in the Castro Valley CLASH tournament and went 1-2.
The Dons opened the tournament with a 9-6 loss to American but came back to beat Washington 16-5. In their final game, the Dons played well but lost to Castro Valley.
Top scorers of the tournament included Aashni Acharya with seven goals, with Keerthana Simisetty and Ellarie Moorfield getting five each. Diva Malhotra scored three goals. Acharya led the team in steals with eight defensive turnovers, followed by Simisetty with four.
Foothill girls’ volleyball
The Falcons split their league matches last week.
They opened the week with a 25-19, 25-12, 25-14 win over Granada. Highlights came from Kait Vogel (18 digs, 10 service points, 8 kills), Ilayda Caglar (11 kills, 10 digs), Olivia So (16 digs, 1 ace), Shreya Patel (15 assists, 6 digs) and Eva Bixler (5 kills, 3 digs).
The loss came in an 18-25, 16-25, 25-22, 26-28 battle with Monte Vista. Highlights here came from Caglar (24 kills, 14 digs), Vogel (27 digs, 12 kills, 10 service points), Makenzie Bulaon (29 assists, 3 digs), Ale Sioco (14 digs, 10 service points) and Addie Boeschenstein (7 kills, 2 blocks).
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
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