In a dominating performance last weekend, the Malibu High School boys water polo team won the Conejo Classic at Cal Lutheran University with a thrilling 11-10 victory over defending champion Ventura High School. Behind Most Valuable Player Owen Franz, the Sharks emerged victorious in all five games through the season-opening tournament.
“The championship means a lot,” Malibu coach Mike Mulligan said. “It validates the work we put in during the summer. The team played with a lot of poise and determination. We still have a lot to work on but we are going in the right direction.”
Franz, a junior, scored 31 goals, including seven in the epic title match, while teammates Henry Buckley, Jens Cole and Cooper Bell provided valuable support on offense and defense in the championship run.
Ranked No. 3 in CIF Division VI, Malibu (5-0) came out on top in the 18-team tournament by flexing its muscles and dominating its first four opponents.
The Sharks defeated Crescenta Valley, 16-7, and Thousand Oaks, 14-6, during pool play. Their stellar showing continued in the knockout rounds, as the Sharks swept aside Canyon, 14-5, in the quarterfinals, then knocked off Crespi, 12-6, in the semifinals.
Standing between the Sharks and a championship title was six-time tournament champion, Ventura, ranked No. 7 in Division II.
In what would prove to be an epic back-and-forth championship game, the Sharks quickly fell behind the Cougars, 2-0, midway through the first period. But goals from Franz and senior Henry Buckley sparked a five-goal outburst that gave Malibu a 5-2 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the second period.
Ventura scored two goals to end the first half, cutting the deficit to 5-4, then roared out of the gate in the third period with two quick goals to take an 8-7 lead.
Malibu responded when Franz scored off a 6-on-5 man advantage with seven seconds left to tie the match at eight apiece entering the final stanza.
Early in the fourth, senior Jens Cole found the net to give Malibu a brief 9-8 lead, only to see Ventura tie the match at nine. The table was set for tournament MVP Franz to step up.
Over a two-minute span, Franz fired home two of his game-high seven goals to stake the Sharks to an 11-9 lead with three minutes remaining. While Ventura scored to cut it to 11-10, Malibu held on to run out the clock and claim the championship.
Emotions ran high for the Sharks afterward. Despite going 25-5 last year and winning a 15th league title in the process, Malibu was eliminated in the CIF Division VI semifinals by La Quinta. The boys hope the tournament victory will be a springboard to the school’s elusive first CIF title.
“Our expectations are a lot higher than last year,” Franz said. “We lost in the semis last year but we think we can win the final this year.”
That message was echoed by others on the Malibu team, where league titles have been the norm. The Sharks won 11 consecutive league titles from 1994 to 2004 under Mulligan’s guidance and have rattled off four straight the last four seasons in the Tri-Valley League.
Senior goalkeeper Jack Thompson, the unsung hero of the tournament with 38 shots saved as he thwarted big rallies time and again, said the team is aiming higher this season.
“Personally, for my senior year I would really like to win CIF. I think everyone on the team is very dedicated to get that goal this year,” Thompson said. “We have to keep our heads in the games and treat each one just like any other game. It just has a bigger reward for it at the end.”
Entering his 23rd season at the helm for Malibu, head coach Mike Mulligan said it’s a matter of being in the moment and playing toward the team’s strengths.
“The potential is there for us to have a fantastic season,” he said. “As long as we stay focused, don’t get big heads, stay humble and work hard and play to our abilities, we will do well.”