SOPAC JO Quals (16s Division) Breakdown

[JFranpolo]

16s Division Breakdown

Contenders for JOs

1st: SoCal Black: Good all-around team who is solid at both ends, especially defensively. Juniors Cole Francisco (National Cadet Team attacker / Los Alamitos), Will Griswold (skilled utility / Foothill), Mac Marr (savvy attacker / Los Alamitos), Logan Coleman (gritty attacker) Max Ellis (solid center/ Santa Margarita) lead the way. They're also good in the cage with Joe Jenness (Los Alamitos).

2nd Newport Beach: The first couple of descriptions that come to mind are solid and deep and they are a strong counter team. Junior Jack Wright sets the stage for them on offense and their center-play is sound. They swim and defend well and rarely hurt themselves at both ends. They have a couple of solid shooters on the outside (didn't get the roster) and they're fundamentally sound. Junior Gavin Appledorn (National Cadet Team) is eligible to play 16s, but will probably be Newport's starting center-defender in the fall.

3rd: Vanguard Blue: Should be considered one of the favorites. They have a stud at center in junior Ethan Spoon /Huntington Beach). Also, junior Christian Hammonds is a rising stud attacker. They are also very solid in the cage with junior Benjamin O'Brien (good size).

The Next Level (Sleeper teams)

4th Chawp White A: Need to see them more. Had a solid outing this weekend thanks to some Hungarian imports--including a formidable big lefty. They will be an intriguing team to watch if they can mesh everyone together.

5th: North Irvine: They have a solid One-Two punch in juniors Oleg Shatskikh (University/explosive attacker) and Sam Bowman (Irvine/rangy /crafty center). Solid all-around team.

b]6th[/b]: Mission WPC: Mission could be very good if sophomores Taylor Bell (Skilled and savvy player) and Colt Bradley (versatile center / National Cadet Team) played. But they're most likely going to be with the 18s during JOs. Big revelation was the improvement of sophomore center Milan Sumich. Sophomore lefty James Mulvey is on the rise and could be a factor if he plays 16s.

7th: Set (Sleeper team right here and have some solid players in juniors Keegan McGann (strong attacker / Santa Margarita) and Cade Atherton (well-rounded attacker/ Laguna Beach). Well coached, play solid defense, and rarely turn the ball over.

8th: Vanguard Red has Sophomore Brian Barnuevo (Crafty offensive player / Cadet National Team) will lead the way. Sophomore Kyson Becker is a talented lefty and freshman Kai Kaneko (talented attacker) could play both 14s and 16s. Juniors Alexander Oprea (played some this weekend with the 16s, but most likely will play 18s) is a talented lefty. Nathan Banos (National Cadet Team) is another talented lefty, who is eligible for 16s but starts on the 18s.