Donohoe awash in talent

Damien's water polo standout has few peers

By Steve Ramirez, Staff Writer

Article Launched: 10/20/2008 11:36:24 PM PDT
 

LA VERNE - If Damien High School water polo coach Andrew Gates wanted to, he could make Brian Donohoe the focal point of the Spartans' offense and the senior would be quite productive.

But it's doubtful the Spartans still would be one of the top-ranked teams in the CIF-Southern Section.

Damien's strength comes in numbers, which include Donohoe and David Purington on the inside and Walker Shockley in goal. Donohoe has a team-high 72 goals in 14 games, along with 50 assists.

"Brian is arguably the best player in our area this year," Gates said of the senior, who was first-team all-area and second-team All-CIF last season. "There are others who are very good, but he ranks right up there, and I think he is head and shoulders above everybody else.

"He does so much for us. He leads us in scoring, assists and steals, but the thing I like about him which is so important is that he gets everybody involved. It's not just Brian. We have a lot of other weapons.

"When the other teams run defensive schemes to stop him, we're fine with that because that will get other guys involved, which will enable him to get an assist and allow others to score."

The philosophy has worked fine for Damien, which is ranked No. 2 in Division III and considered one of the favorites to win a division title.

The senior said he believes that the strategy is the perfect fit for himself and his teammates because the only statistic he cares about is wins.

"I've been lucky enough to be playing for a lot longer than most guys on the team," said Donohoe, whose younger sister Emily also earned first-team all-area honors last season. "At this point, I'll do whatever the team needs me to do, play wherever I'm needed. If I'm needed to score, I'll do that. But if I need to take a more conservative role and play defense, I'll do that. Whatever it takes to win.

"That's what is so good about playing on this team; I don't have to be one- dimensional. It allows me to do whatever needs to be done. I can change how I play according to the defense. It allows me to play wherever I need to be in the pool."

There is another factor that is pushing Donohoe to succeed - last season's 10-9 loss to South Pasadena in the CIF-SS divisional quarterfinals.

It was a gut-wrenching moment that is driving him and his teammates this season.

"Losing in the quarters to a team we thought we were better than, that was tough to take," Donohoe said.

"I think it made everybody (on this year's team) motivated to win this year. It was a bad way to end the season. We should have gone a lot further last year, so this year everyone is just much more focused."

That includes Donohoe, who has found the proper balance between talent and drive. But the critical factor for the Spartans comes in the skill level of the senior, who has very few peers in the area.

"He's good at creating his own shot," Gates said.

"It's not like he needs someone to throw him the ball. He can create his own shot, which in water polo is huge. If you can do that, you're a tough player to stop."

Donohoe, who in past years was a follower to players such as 2007 area player of the year Nick Schofield, gladly accepts the role as team leader.

"It's a lot of work, a lot bigger workload," Donohoe said. "But I think it's better. I've had a lot of opportunities to learn from some great players. There's always that one guy, that one senior on the team who is the leader, and now I'm that guy.

"It is really cool to be that guy. It gives me a lot more responsibility, but it allows me to do more for the team and allows me to have the ability to get us wins."

Damien advances to quarterfinals

Clay Fowler, Staff Writer

Article Created: 11/12/2008 10:26:42 PM PST
 

LA VERNE - Yucaipa may have had reason to worry when it noticed Brian Donohoe had his own apparel dotting the Damien crowd.

The senior water polo player didn't disappoint the fans adorned with his T-shirts in the second-seeded Spartans' 22-7 first-round playoff victory Wednesday afternoon, tallying eight goals and five assists before he was benched after the third quarter.

Donohoe's fifth goal, yet another pinpoint outside shot, ended a frenzied run that gave Damien (22-8) a 12-1 lead with 2:30 left in the first half.

"We knew he liked to shoot from the outside, but how do you guard a guy who is bigger, faster, stronger?" Yucaipa coach Matt Carpenter said. "You can't play zone to take away a guy at the top - that's to take away the inside - so we had to go one-on-one with him and we didn't have anybody who could match up."

The Sierra League champions out-shot Yucaipa, the Citrus Belt League third-place team, 37-19. Entering the fourth quarter, Yucaipa (17-13) had 21 turnovers to Damien's five, which led to numerous Spartan goals on the counterattack.

Five other players scored two goals each for Damien, including Eric Osterberg, who added two assists.

Yucaipa's Trevor Hoyt and Brian Haney each scored three goals.

Damien will face the winner of Montebello Schurr and Temecula Chapparal in the Division III quarterfinals on Friday.

"This is definitely a finals caliber team capable of winning a championship,"

Damien coach Andrew Gates said. "The top four teams are about a goal apart. Any of us could win it."