Flintridge Prep boys’ water polo holds Chadwick in check
LA CAÑADA — Conrad Oakes adjusted to the setting in front of the cage, ready to keep Flintridge Prep atop the Prep League.
Then, the Flintridge Prep senior goalkeeper turned in an impressive display.
Oakes finished with 15 saves and Aidan Schraeder and Hakop Kaplanyan tallied three goals apiece to lift host Flintridge Prep to a key 11-1 Prep League victory Monday afternoon against rival Chadwick.
“I squared up against their shooters and that put me in good position to make most of those saves,” said Oakes, a senior who helped Flintridge Prep split the league championship last season with Chadwick and Brentwood. “I got a real good read and could figure out the angles of the shots.
“We’ve also been good at getting blocks from our defense and that’s helped me a lot. We knew we’d all have to play a good game against a team like Chadwick. We were able to do that.”
Oakes, who earned all-league second-team accolades last season after recording 236 saves, collected 10 saves in the first half for Flintridge Prep (10-2, 3-0 in league). Oakes had five second-half saves to turn back Chadwick (7-6, 3-1) in the first of two head-to-head meetings.
Flintridge Prep, ranked fourth in CIF Southern Section Division V behind Alta Loma, San Marino and Chaparral, held an 8-0 lead at halftime. Neither team scored in the third quarter.
“Conrad had an amazing game and he’s been very consistent the whole season,” Flintridge Prep coach Andrew Phillips said. “He’s very good at tracking the ball and being able to read the plays.
“It’s huge to get a win against Chadwick because we know it’s going to be tough to win league. We’re also getting better on defense and they have become used to my voice. We’ve been doing a good job at putting things together.”
Flintridge Prep, which has won three league championships in a row, jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a pair of goals by Schraeder. Schraeder’s second goal came with 1:41 left in the first quarter.
Kaplanyan scored with 1:45 remaining in the second quarter to give the Rebels a 7-0 advantage.
Chadwick cut the lead to 8-1 on a goal by Merrick Burrell with 4:50 left in the fourth quarter.
Flintridge Prep received two goals each from Kasen Barraclough and Ian Tien and one from Ian Davies.
The teams will meet again Oct. 25 at Chadwick.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
