Pril named Avocado League player of the year for water polo - Six Warriors receive all-league recognition

Fallbrook High School senior Jacob Pril was a unanimous selection for the Avocado League’s player of the year in water polo.

“It was unanimous without having to take a formal vote,” said Fallbrook coach Bob Lamont. “Everybody looked at me and said: ‘I’ve got one to nominate’.”

The Avocado League coaches’ meeting saw a total of six Fallbrook players earn all-league honors. Pril and senior Kevin Reichel, both of whom were drivers for the Warriors, were named to the league’s first team. Junior two-meter player Kort Heyneman was given second-team honors. Senior driver Preston Beye, senior two-meter defender Luke Jones, and junior driver Alec Carpenter received honorable mention recognition.

“I think we did real well,” Lamont said of having six all-league selections. “Going 10 and 0, I think we should have done real well.”

Fallbrook’s 10-0 league record was part of a 23-8 overall record which included a first-round playoff win and a quarterfinal playoff loss. The Warriors scored 413 goals in those 31 games. “This was just a unique team. Offensively we were wound pretty tight,” Lamont said.

Defensively the team also made an impact. The Warriors, who averaged just over 340 steals annually between 2006 and 2008, had 566 steals during the 2009 season. “A very marked increase largely brought by Kevin and Jacob in their ability to move laterally in the water,” Lamont said.

Pril’s 228 goals during the season broke the all-time CIF San Diego Section single-season record set in 2000 by Valhalla’s Brett Ormsby and contributed to a career total of 528 goals which broke the all-time section record of 458 set by Alex Perry, who played for West Hills High School from 2001 through 2004. Pril took 473 shots during the season, giving him a 48 percent shooting percentage. “That’s pretty impressive from my perspective,” Lamont said.

Lamont noted that many of those goals were from perimeter shots. Pril’s shooting percentage led all Warrior players with at least ten attempts.

Pril had 55 percent of the team’s total goals this year. He also had 102 steals and 28 assists during the 2009 season.

Reichel led the team with 135 steals and 42 assists while scoring 48 goals. “He was all over the pool this year,” Lamont said. “Not only was he putting the ball in the back of the net, but he was dishing it off.”

Lamont noted that Reichel didn’t score as many goals as some Avocado League players who were nominated but not selected to the first team. “The fact that he had 135 steals got everybody’s attention,” Lamont said.

Heyneman had 33 goals and 30 assists. “Another balanced player,” Lamont said. “He was not afraid to pass the ball off.”

Heyneman had 73 steals while the Warriors were on defense. “A good starting point for next year,” Lamont said.

Beye had 12 goals, 28 assists, and 36 steals. Jones had 11 goals, 14 assists, and 36 steals. Carpenter had 39 goals, 11 assists, and 63 steals.

The Warriors had eight seniors on the 2009 team, including five starters and the four all-league players. The two all-league juniors, Heyneman and Carpenter, both spent most of 2008 on Fallbrook’s junior varsity team with some varsity action last year while spending their first full seasons on the varsity this year. “We’ll pretty much use them as a starting point,” Lamont said of his two all-league players who are expected to return for the 2010 season.