LODI – Ripon goalie Andrew Hanker is listed as 6 feet, 3 inches tall, but in the eyes of Ripon fans he grew to 10 feet tall Wednesday night.
With the third-seeded Indians clinging to a one-goal lead in the final seconds of their Sac-Joaquin Section Division II boys water polo semifinal tilt, second-seeded Lodi, was riding the wave of enthusiasm provided by its electric home crowd and was threatening to tie the match as time expired.
Hanker would have nothing to do with that.
He flew high and blocked the game’s final shot as the buzzer sounded for his 17th save of the night to send Ripon to its third consecutive Division II final via a heart-stopping 16-15 win
The result sends the Indians to the section championship Saturday at the Roseville Aquatics Center against top-seeded Merced.
“I was just thinking I didn’t want it to go or whatever they do,” Hanker said. “I was thinking of all that and how they beat us last time, and I told myself I had to get that ball.
“I saw him get down and I was ready. I saw him shoot and I just blocked it.”
The division championship game is not a rare destination for the Indians (20-12), who in the last four years have two Division III championships, a Division II championship and a runner-up Division II finish last year before rebounding for the NorCal Division III state championship.
“Ripon went to the section finals when I was in eighth grade and all four years I have been in high school,” Ripon’s Matt Lee said. “It’s turning into a tradition.”
“It still feels good to go. I cherish it and I cherish being able to do it with these guys.”
Lee finished with six goals and an assist. Teammate Trevor Bell also finished with six goals and chipped in three saves and three aces.
“I used my off hand to make some moves their goalie could not keep up with,” Bell said. “I had to place the shots perfectly.”
The only lead for Lodi (21-10) was at 1-0, but the Flames kept it close with three ties. The biggest lead for the Indians was at 6-3.
“This is a tribute to how hard these guys work,” Ripon coach Jeremy West said. “We don’t always have the most kids or the most talent, but for some reason these guys have so much grit and determination that we find a way to win, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Deven Patel added two goals and an assist for the Indians, Boen West and Lucas Rietkerk scored a goal each and Ethan Hsieh tallied a pair of assists.
Lodi’s Tyler Peterson found the net seven times with three goals apiece for teammates Max Schroeder and Braxton Boone.
