Since their last CCS championship in 2004 when the Lancers boys’ water polo team beat Menlo for the division II title, St. Francis (Mountain View) has been climbing their way back toward the podium. “Our primary focus is always on making it back to the championship match,”Head Coach Terry O’Donnell said.

Saint Francis
Saint Francis in 2007.

In 2005 they were eliminated in the opening round of the CCS Division II playoffs. In 2006 they made it to the division I semi-finals. And last year they made it to the division II championship match losing a 8-10 heartbreaker to Sacred Heart Prep. If the pattern continues, this November you can expect to see the Lancers celebrating their first CCS title in four years. The question is whether the trophy will read division I or division II champions.

O’Donnell has the daunting task of scouting over 20 CCS teams each season while most coaches only concern themselves with 10 or 11. That’s because the CCS advances 24 teams to the section playoffs and they compete in the division according to their school’s enrolled population. 12 teams with the highest enrollment compete for the division I title and the others for the division II title. St. Francis is usually right on that cusp with the twelfth or thirteenth highest population of the lot.

“√Ö‚ÄúIt makes it exciting every year, but it also means that I get to scout twice as many teams,”√Ǭù O’Donnell said.

In his 14th year at St. Francis, O’Donnell is as confident as ever in his team. “We have a great mix of kids and a lot of great leadership. Plus we have a strong group of youngsters coming up,”√Ǭù O’Donnell said.

The Lancers will return 4 starters from last year including first team all CCS senior Miguel Martin De Bustamante and second team all CCS senior Evan Dellinger.

They lost some very good talent from last season’s starting lineup when seniors Tom Avery-USC, Michael Olsen-UCLS and Josh Henris-West Valley CC moved on to play college ball. “We had a fantastic senior class last year and it made it a lot of fun to coach,”O’Donnell said, “They left some shoes to fill and work to do. There are openings for younger guys to step up.”

Look for seniors Tom Cole and keeper Tony Dito to join Martin De Bustamante and Dellinger to lead the Lancers in 2008.

This weekend their club team traveled to Orange County to compete in the California State High School Championships where they went 4-2 beating Murrieta Valley, Agoura, Santa Barbara and La Canada to take 11th place out of 32 schools. “My boys are playing really well together right now,”√Ǭù O’Donnell said, “I’m really looking forward to the season.”

They can only hope to have the start they had last year when they began the season 17-0. “We’ve never had a string of wins like that before,”O’Donnell said, “it really gave the guys a lot of confidence.”

Confidence is key when you’re competing in the West Catholic Athletic League. “We play in an absolutely loaded league,”√Ǭù O’Donnell said. “I expect Sacred Heart, St. Francis and Bellarmine to finish top three.”√Ǭù All three schools are recognized as some of the best in Northern California.

The Lancers open their season at Acalanes High School in Lafayette, California.