The No. 2 seeded Jesuit High School Marauders defeated No. 7 seeded Menlo-Atherton High School 16-10 in the first round of the NorCal Boys Division II Playoffs on Tuesday.

The Marauders ended the first half 11-3 thanks to their stellar offense, in which player Jacob Yi ’21 served a key role by scoring three goals. Player Landon Marks ’21 noted Jacob’s part in the team’s success.

“We just carried off the energy from our section win,” Landon said. “Jacob Yi kept the energy up for the whole team and our defense kept defending well.”

In the second half, some starters were pulled due to Jesuit’s dominant 8-point lead, giving MAHS a chance to score seven goals. However, MAHS’ efforts weren’t enough to catch up to the Marauders’ overwhelming lead, and Jesuit closed the game 16-10.

After such a convincing victory, Jacob is sure the team can keep its momentum going in the next round of the playoffs.

“We can compete with anyone,” Jacob said. “We beat a really good Granite Bay team and this is just going to boost our confidence carrying on to the next game.”

Though the Marauders have reason to be confident after the win, especially with their No. 2 seed, player Daniel Burky ’21 doesn’t want the team to become complacent.

“Hopefully, just because we won by a lot, doesn’t mean we take everything really easy,” Daniel said.

Jesuit plays No. 3 seeded Clovis West High School at home in the regional semifinals. Be there at the pool tonight at 5 p.m.

This story originated in The Plank on 11/21: https://jhsplank.com/7317/showcase/jesuit-wins-first-round-of-water-polo-regional-playoffs-16-10/