This is a great article about Mallory and her successes on the water polo team. We are all so proud of our polo star. Go Mallory!
Murrieta Valley's Mallory Montano, right, puts pressure on Chaparal's Palmer Hardy as she tries to pass during the first half of their match on Tuesday. (Don Boomer/Staff Photographer)By JEFF SANDERS - Staff Writer Tuesday, January 13, 2009 11:33 PM PST ∞
TEMECULA ---- Bryan Lynton admits he's hitting the reset button this season. It's just not the same thing at Murrieta Valley as it is at other Valley girls water polo programs. Junior Mallory Montano scored a game-high four goals, the Murrieta Valley press rattled Chaparral's high-octane offense and the Nighthawks began defense of their fourth straight Southwestern League title ---- not to mention back-to-back section championships ---- with a 10-5 victory over the host Pumas on Tuesday afternoon.
TEMECULA ---- Bryan Lynton admits he's hitting the reset button this season. It's just not the same thing at Murrieta Valley as it is at other Valley girls water polo programs. Junior Mallory Montano scored a game-high four goals, the Murrieta Valley press rattled Chaparral's high-octane offense and the Nighthawks began defense of their fourth straight Southwestern League title ---- not to mention back-to-back section championships ---- with a 10-5 victory over the host Pumas on Tuesday afternoon.
"They are never going to be down ---- they've got a club program and they are always going to have great players," said Chaparral coach Tyson Cleveland, whose team is ranked No. 8 in Division III. "They'll lose great individuals, but they've got a great team concept and they play great individual team defense.
They are never going to be a team that's down."Those great individuals ---- All-Valley Players of the Year Kirra and Torrey Kylander, Sydney Sonoda and Kristen Stragier, to name a few ---- helped build the Nighthawks into a Riverside County powerhouse.
This year, with Montano the veteran among the new bunch, Lynton is leaning more than ever on the depth of his program.And in the first Southwestern League match of the year, that depth passed every test.Maria Quiroz assisted on three goals, Chelsea Harrod assisted on two and scored a goal, and Brianna Tryon, Hope Rollison, Melissa Hale, Ashley Amparan and Katie Henry all scored goals.
"Besides Mallory, not a lot of those kids have varsity experience," said Lynton, whose team is ranked No. 3 in Division III. "They are learning as we go. ... The thing that makes us good is, every high school team is going to have one or two good players. It's the other ones ---- the No. five, six, seven, eight, nine girls ---- that get you over the hump."Our subs went in today and we feel like we didn't miss a beat.
"The same goes for new goalie Ashley Fedler, who stopped six shots ---- including a pair of point-blank shots from UCLA-bound Brooke Martin ---- in an eye-opening contest for a sophomore who wasn't with the squad a year ago."We had a tournament this weekend and she's improved so much just in the last three days," Montano said. "We're all really happy for her. She did really good."Credit the Murrieta Valley defense for the assist on Fedler's performance.Determined to keep Martin from dominating the game on the perimeters, Lynton ditched dropping two and three players on the Pumas' attacker for a man-to-man press that caught Chaparral by surprise.
The Pumas (8-2, 0-1) committed 25 turnovers to Murrieta Valley's 13, missed on their first nine power plays and didn't score a goal until Paige Hardy's buzzer-beater at the end of the first half cut the Nighthawks' lead to 6-1.By the time Martin finally got on the board in fourth period with a pair of goals, Murrieta Valley (9-3, 1-0) was well on its way to a victory.
"Murrieta just came out and played really solid defense," Cleveland said. "You're going to get your shots, but you have to execute and we didn't really execute in the first half. I think the girls were a little shell-shocked in the first half handling Murrieta's defense."
To view actual article click here http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2009/01/14/sports/highschool/calhighschool/z14ebc4b23bb645968825753e000a491f.txt
5 comments:
I had no idea you were going to post this.
That was really nice of you. As soon as Mallory saw it she said, "Oh, no," but she was laughing.
Her team has recently had some great games.
Last week I couldn't stop pacing through one of them, and was a nervous wreck they wouldn't win. They did, but only by one point.
This year the games are nail biting. The seniors are gone, and the JV team has moved up. It's been fun to watch her friends step up to position and perform.
I've been so impressed with Mallory's itty-bitty friend, Maria. She's the smallest on the team, and she's an attacker. She doesn't let anyone take the ball from her, steals the ball, and has made some great shots. She's been given the opportunity to play, and has shown everyone she can do it!
Every time I watch Mal play, I am always amazed at how strong she is, and how tough she is. The girls are all over her, and she is usually double teamed.
It's been great to watch her, and we all just keep hoping she'll get the scholarship she's been working for.
The girl, Brooke in the article has a scholarship to UCLA, already.
Thanks again, Heidi for posting this. I wish everyone could see her play.
Of course that Mallory Montano will get a scholarship. That kids is a mover and a shaker. I just wish they had a water polo team out here in exciting and enticing Utah so we could have her here. It's nice to know that your Indian exchange student has so much drive and enthusiasm. She should be able to carve out a nice life for herself here in the states.
The Indian Reservation had a lake nearby so she swam a lot before she got here. Her coach makes her take the feathers out of her hair before she gets in the pool.
Go Mallory! I can't wait to hear what kind of shcolarships that girl gets offered. What a gal! I'm so glad she swam on the lake at the reservation before she arrived and how nice of you to want to adopt a native american!
Oh my gosh! That Indian exchange student bit caught me so off guard! I was laughing my head off! So funny!
Mallory you like amazing! I can't believe how strong you look. Swimming with several people right on top of you! I would drown! Sink right to the bottom!
I'm so proud of you and your success! That is really an accomplishment to have made Varsity at such a young age and then to continue to dominate and do great with a new team the next year!
I hope you continue to have a strong year and can't wait to see what next year brings!
Are you playing in February? We are coming down and I would love to see you play.
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