The boys water polo team was absolutely dominant throughout the annual Scott Roche tournament this past weekend. Staff photo by Ty Corley.

By Connor Van Ligten

Scott Roche, Menlo class of 1990, passed away tragically in 1998. To honor his legacy, Menlo School created an invitational water polo tournament in his name. This year, Menlo hosted the 20th annual Scott Roche Invitational and, through hard-fought battles, eventually emerged on top.

The Knights steamrolled past their opponents in each round, beating Redwood, Davis, and St. Mary’s by a combined 49 points. Menlo came out aggressive, scoring the bulk of their points in the first half and never looking back. However, the finals were nothing but a cakewalk.

The Knights and their challengers, San Ramon Valley, were deadlocked in a tight match, with a 9-9 tie going into the fourth quarter of play. With 2:53 left in the match, junior Sam Untrecht scored his second goal, which put Menlo ahead for good, giving them a 10-9 victory.

Menlo had a total of eight players scoring during the final and were boosted by a strong defensive effort from sophomore John Poulos’ 13 saves.

The next matchup for the Knights is against Carlmont on the 13th which will be followed by the CCS/NCS tournament, featuring Menlo against Monte Vista on the 15th.