In 2010, Coach Steve Compagno led a talented, senior-heavy team all the way to an NCS win. Now, four years later, with the same coach and a similarly talented group of seniors, the Giants are optimistic about achieving the same type of success for the first time since then.
Despite being only a few games into a thus-far mediocre preseason with a record of 1-2, the team’s chemistry, after playing together for four years, is a force to be reckoned with.
Junior Mike Sullivan and seniors William Breck, LaRon Bullock, Elliot Dean, Jacob Donick, Trevor LaViale, and Blake Alm have all been playing together since they started on JV three years ago. That winning combination resulted in a JV MCAL pennant.
“We’re all close, so we know how each other plays. We kind of work off of each other, and whenever someone else is playing well we feed off their energy,” Sullivan said.
So far the team has won their games against Pinole Valley and Acalanes, but lost a scrimmage against Analy and games against Monte Vista and Campolindo. However, according to senior LaRon Bullock, these teams are tougher competition than any they will face in MCALs.
Despite the losses, the Giants remain optimistic about their odds of success.
“When we’re good, we’re really good,” Alm said. “We’re playing against teams like Campolindo and Monte Vista and it doesn’t look like they can stop us, because we’re just moving the ball really well, getting the ball into the middle and hitting our posts on drives. That kind of overall balance is something most teams just don’t have.”
Not unlike the 2010 team, this year’s team relies on their strong senior leadership to unify and lead the players throughout the game.
“Last year the older guys weren’t as much of leaders as this year,” said sophomore Jordan Jackson. “I respect the guys this year a lot. When they tell me to do something, I try to do it.”
In addition to leaning on their senior players, the team also relies on their strong defense to create a fast-paced offense, much like the 2010 team did.
“We try to create offense out of our defense, so that’s very similar to the 2010 team,” Bullock said. “They had great defenders on the perimeter and in the post, and that’s something we have too.”
