Winning a Califor n i a Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championship? Unforgettable. Designing a CIF ring? Priceless.
Two weeks after climbing to the top of the mountain in boys water polo and being crowned CIF Division VI champions after defeating Segerstrom, 10-7, Malibu senior Owen Franz and coach Mike Mulligan sat down together to design the ultimate prize in high school sports. The result? A black gem with a teal “M” signified the Sharks rise to dominance this past fall.
The quest for the ring began back in the summer and culminated on November 22 on a crisp Saturday morning at William Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine. For Mulligan, the 24-year wait was washed away in a quick drenching of water when his team threw him into the pool to christen the school’s first ever boys water polo title.
As for Franz, it took three years to feel the elation of being a CIF champion and will be a moment he’ll savor forever.
“Winning CIF for the school and for coach [Mulligan] was a very exciting feeling,” Franz said. “We all saw how excited Mulligan was. That was probably the best thing ever.
“Making the ring with him definitely showed how excited he was. He definitely deserved it for sure. A lot of our team effort was put in toward him because we knew how badly he wanted it.”
As creative as they were designing the CIF ring, coach and pupil were even better at their craft. Mulligan has been long considered one of the area’s brightest coaches in the sport. He was honored as the CIF Division VI coach of the year.
Mulligan has built a powerhouse at Malibu: five consecutive league titles, 17 overall and three straight CIF final four appearances, behind his vast knowledge and ability to maximize player potential.
Look no further than Franz, who is considering playing water polo at Pepperdine, Long Beach State, UCLA and UC Santa Barbara.
The journey began in fourth grade when Franz first learned the concepts of water polo under the tutelage of Mulligan and Sharks’ girls water polo coach Hayden Goldberg. Eight years later, Franz finished his spectacular career as the greatest player in Malibu’s storied program.
“He leaves Malibu as the most decorated, strongest and best player Malibu has ever had,” Mulligan said. “We have been very fortunate to have great players come through Malibu and they all have set the bar very high for others to follow. Hopefully there will be a player in the future who sees what Owen has done and will strive and achieve that success.”
Franz, 17, impressed Goldberg from the get-go, earning the nickname “Superstar.”
“I saw Owen grow from this little pony into this insane beast. I gave him the nickname ‘Superstar’ in sixth grade and he never let that nickname down,” Goldberg said. “He got progressively better and always wanted to get better. He’s the best player I’ve ever seen and he came out of Malibu.”
In just three seasons, Franz broke the school records for goals in a season (150 this year) and in a career with 348. Malibu went 25-5, 30-1 and 27-4 during those three years for an astonishing 82-10 record overall.
When his best was needed, Franz responded with his two top performances of the season. He scored 10 goals in a 19-9 CIF semifinal win against Beaumont and added six more in the championship game.
Malibu was CIF runner-up in 2008, 2010 and 2013. It was only fitting that the face of Malibu boys water polo would be the player who led the Sharks to its first-ever CIF championship.
“Owen has elevated the Shark program to unbelievable heights. He is such a dominating player and commands everyone’s attention when he is in the water,” said Mulligan. “He plays with heart and sheer determination. He was a man among boys this year. He did things this year I have never seen done at the offensive end of the pool. His uncanny knack for scoring was unparalleled.”
As he begins to focus on the upcoming swim season, during which he won three CIF titles last spring, Franz reflected upon his career and credits Mulligan and Goldberg for his growth as a player.
“From youth all the way through high school, it was great working with them,” he said. “If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what I would be doing with water polo today. I didn’t think I would be this successful. All the coaching and training prepared me for winning the CIF title.”
“We could tell he was a special kid,” Goldberg said of Franz. “It was a fun ride watching him. It was a pleasure to coach him and I am very proud of him.”
Joining Franz on the All-CIF first team were Dax Nittolo, Freddy Keith and Phil Campanella. Hans Cole and Jake Durrant earned second and third team, respectively.
