Vitals: Monache High
He’s qualified because: In his first season as Monache’s boys coach, Weaver directed the Marauders to a 28-3 record and the Central Section Division II championship. Two of the Marauders’ three losses were to Golden West, the team they beat 11-8 for the D-II title. Weaver also directed Monache to a 12-0 run through the East Yosemite League, the San Luis Obispo Tournament championship and a second-place finish at the Visalia Tournament.
Defining moment: A 7-6 loss to Golden West in the final of the Visalia Tournament set the stage for the Marauders’ title run. After falling behind 4-0 in the first quarter, Monache outscored the Trailblazers 6-2 the rest of the way. The Marauders proceeded to win 18 straight games and their third D-II title in four seasons. “My gut told me that was probably going to be the last game we’d lose the way they turned it around," Weaver said. "They really jelled in that game,” Weaver said.
Career highlights: Before taking over the boys programs, Weaver lead Monache’s girls team into the D-II finals the previous three seasons. The Marauders won the D-II title in 2004. Has also coached Monache’s boys swimming team.
The word: “It took a lot of trust. The boys trusted me to guide them, and I trusted them to work hard for me. That agreement worked out real well for us.” — Monache coach Brandon Weaver
Coach of the Year: Brandon Weaver, Monache High
The Marauders won the Division II title under the direction of Brandon Weaver, who returned to coaching after a brief absence.
Opposing take: “He leads his team well and he helped them peak at the right time. They came into that last game and played phenomenally. We had played them twice before and beat them, but they knew what we did. They were a different team when we played them in the final. Brandon did some great work from when we played in September until we played them again in November.” — Golden West coach Rick Nordell
Brandon Weaver left his mark on a team he once played for.
Weaver did an about-face on taking some time off from coaching when he had an opportunity to move from the girls team to the boys and was rewarded by leading Monache High to the Central Section Division II boys water polo title.
Weaver is The Bee’s Coach of the Year in boys water polo.
After eight seasons as Monache’s girls water polo coach, Weaver stepped down to focus on his new rain gutter business in Porterville. But when the boys job came open months later before the start of the school year, and with his business off to a successful start, Weaver applied and got the job.
Weaver guided the Marauders to a 28-3 record, the San Luis Obispo tournament title, the East Yosemite League title, and an 11-8 victory over Golden West in the D-II final.
“Success stems from having a good group of kids, and that comes from the parents,” said Weaver, a 1990 Monache graduate. “Good kids make coaching easy.”
The reporter can be reached at nickg@fresnobee.com or (559) 622-2407.
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2008 Boys Water Polo All-Star Team
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