The Gunn boys water polo team knew what was on the line Thursday night when it faced crosstown rival Palo Alto.
The Titans were undefeated in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League with one game left on the schedule.
And Gunn took care of a business with a 12-6 win over the host Vikings.
“We were trying to treat this just like another game,” Gunn coach Matt Johnson said. “This was a good opportunity to play against a good team and we’re trying to get better every time we get in the water.”
Gunn (14-6, 12-0 De Anza) jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter and kept the lead thanks to the effort of 6-foot-3 goalkeeper Anthony Zunino.
“He’s starting to play his best polo at the right time of the year,” Johnson said.
Ari Wayne led the balanced attack for the Titans with a hat trick, while four players scored twice, including Justin Cooper.
“He’s not a big scorer,” Matt Johnson said. “Just a solid defender, he works hard, communicates on defense for us and anything he chips in is a bonus for us.”
Also with two goals apiece were Christian Znidarsic, Calder Hilde-Jones and Quinn Hamilton.
“You take one thing away and they have something else that they can go to,” Paly coach Brandon Johnson said. “So they’re a pretty deep team.”
The Vikings (12-12, 9-3) were celebrating senior night and were led by utility player Lucas Novak, who scored twice.
“He just one of those guys out there that does everything for us,” Brandon Johnson said. “He was guarding their best player and he was constantly moving, so he was creating for us. He was pretty active tonight and causing some problems for Gunn.”
Paly junior Winston Rosati also notched two goals.
Email Vytas Mazeika at vmazeika@dailynewsgroup.com; follow him at Twitter.com/dailynewsvytas.
