Arroyo Grande girls water polo holds off Miramonte to win first Fall Classic championship since 2018

Arroyo Grande hadn’t won its own Fall Classic girls water polo tournament since the event’s inaugural year in 2018 and the Eagles found their championship quest in an unfavorable position after losing by a goal in the opening match Thursday against Carondelet.

But Arroyo Grande rebounded with four consecutive victories, including a 9-6 triumph Saturday against two-time winner Miramonte to capture the Platinum Division championship, the second tournament title this season for the Eagles including the Central Valley Showdown in August.

Bay Burnett, a junior goalkeeper, was selected tournament MVP after recording eight saves in the final and finishing the five-match schedule with 47 saves overall.

Arroyo Grande (16-4) held all five opponents to eight goals or fewer, elevating from a seventh-place finish at the event last year.

Natalie Whitfield had three goals against Miramonte (11-5), with senior Berkley Sinner adding two goals for Arroyo Grande, with both athletes earning all-tournament recognition.

Whitfield, a junior, scored 15 goals in the tournament for Arroyo Grande, and Sinner contributed 10 goals.

Tessa Pettit, also an all-tournament honoree, contributed a goal and two assists in the final, with Sophie McGehee, Ane’ Smith and freshman Allison Benson also scoring for the Eagles.

Pettit, a senior, finished the tournament with six goals and six assists.

Audrina Kang, Bea Hearey, Kate Liu, Marta Maninetti, Alden Coate and Ally Larsen all scored in the championship match for Miramonte, which received four saves from Eliana Bottene, last year’s tournament MVP.

The Matadors prevailed 8-5 against Sacred Heart Prep (14-2) in Saturday’s semifinals to advance to a third consecutive Fall Classic final.

Larsen and fellow senior Ali Sagara were both all-tournament selections for Miramonte, with Ellison Brush honored from Sacred Heart Prep, which rebounded with a 12-9 victory in the third-place match against Campolindo (11-3) and all-tournament honoree Lily Holloway.

Following a 6-5 setback Thursday against Carondelet, Arroyo Grande produced a 12-6 victory against Monte Vista, defeated Granite Bay 10-2 and knocked off Campolindo 12-8 in the semifinals to reach the final for the first time since 2019.

Campolindo secured a 14-4 victory against the host Eagles to win the 2019 Fall Classic crown.

The Cougars also outlasted Arroyo Grande in their previous meeting Sept. 28 with an 11-10 overtime victory.

Carondelet capped the event Saturday with a 17-7 win against Granite Bay to place fifth, with Soquel securing seventh following a 10-8 triumph against Clovis East.

Clovis North won the Gold Division title with a 14-9 victory Saturday against Aptos at San Luis Obispo High.

Porterville edged Kingsburg by an 11-10 margin to secure the Bronze Division crown at Righetti High.

Arroyo Grande returns to Central Coast Athletic Mountain League competition Wednesday against Righetti (6-5), looking to extend a 206-match league winning streak. The Eagles have won 21 consecutive league championships.