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Sports

Amador Valley Boys Water Polo Preview: Simply the Best

NCS quarterfinalists say 2010 will be their "best year" yet.

School:  Amador Valley

Sport:  Boys water polo 

Coach:  Chris Tofanelli  (3rd season) 

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2009 Results: 15-10, NCS quarterfinals (beat Foothill in round of 16)

Key returners:  Five starters including Kyle Surber (senior, center forward) and Ben Sornsen (senior, driver)

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Key matches:  vs. Foothill, vs. De La Salle

Team website:  Click here

Quote:  "I don't want to jinx us but this is definitely going to be our best year." – Chris Tofanelli (head coach)

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In 2007, the Amador Valley High boys water polo team lost every game it played in the East Bay Athletic League.

"We needed a new coach, new team and new strategy," said Kyle Surber, who was a freshman on Amador's 2007 squad.

Following the 'defeated' season, Amador math teacher Chris Tofanelli took over as head coach. He instilled a new winning attitude he learned while playing for De La Salle's dominant water polo program.

"He's brought new stuff to the program that wasn't there," said Surber, now a senior center for the Dons. "We went from running two miles to swimming two miles. Since then, we've taken off and done extremely well."

Tofanelli, now in his third season, has overseen tremendous growth for a program that is still less than a decade old. Last season, the Dons achieved their best postseason finish with a North Coast Section quarterfinals loss to top-seeded Acalanes.

"I don't want to jinx us but this is definitely going to be our best year," Tofanelli said with a smile.

"I really think we have a chance to fight with powerhouses like De La Salle and San Ramon Valley, teams that have been around for decades," said senior driver Ben Sornsen.

Amador lost six seniors but only two starters during the offseason. This 2010 squad returns five starters, is loaded with speed, strength and senior leadership.

Surber, in his fourth varsity season, will play on the two-meter line as a center, cleaning up rebounds and scoring goals in front of the net. It's up to Sornsen, the left-handed driver, to feed Surber with passes and blistering shots from the right side of the pool.

"These guys have been playing together for a long time," Tofanelli said. "A lot of these guys have been playing in clubs together during the offseason and that's where they grow the most."

The Dons are aiming for a top-four finish in the NCS playoffs, which splits into two divisions this season. Amador will compete in Division I against schools with enrollment of 1,701 students or more.

With every EBAL team moving into the top division, Amador must succeed in league to secure one of the top seeds in NCS.

"The EBAL is a little down this year, but not enough," said Surber. "It's one of the toughest leagues around."

And no league games will be tougher than the home-and-home series with Foothill.

In 2009, Amador split the regular season series with Foothill, but topped the Falcons, 10-8, in the NCS playoffs round of 16

"When we beat them again in NCS, we showed that we are the dominant team in Pleasanton," Sornsen asserted.

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