Stanford seniors make bid for title Stanford seniors make bid for title (December 02, 2005)

Hopkins, Varellas lead Cardinal into national tournament and likely another shot at USC for the NCAA championship

by Rick Eymer

Over the past three years, Stanford seniors Peter Varellas and Thomas Hopkins were often overlooked because of their famous teammate Tony Azevedo. This year, they have established their own identities and once again are on the brink of a possible NCAA national title in men's water polo.

With Azevedo playing professionally in Italy and preparing for another season with the United States national team, Varellas and Hopkins have taken up the slack.

Funny thing about perceptions, too. Hopkins, a two-time All-American, scored 12 more goals last year (60) than he did this season (48), while Varellas, also an All-American, scored a mere four more goals (60) this year than he did last year (56).

Of course Azevedo scored a school-record 332 goals at Stanford, 97 more than the previous record holder, James Bergeson. Hopkins and Varellas have a combined total of 345.

There's more to the sport than scoring goals, obviously, and both seniors have happily done the little things over the course of their careers which has led to one NCAA championship, two national runner-up finishes and an 88-21 mark heading into the Final Four.

Stanford coach John Vargas couldn't be happier as the third-ranked Cardinal meet Loyola Marymount on Saturday in a national semifinal contest at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., at 2 p.m. (PST).

"They have both added great leadership and scoring power," Vargas said. "I'm very satisfied, there's no question, and the credit goes to the guys."

Top-ranked USC meets St. Francis College of Brooklyn in the other semifinal with the winners meeting on Sunday at 3 p.m. (PST) for the national title. The title game will be televised live on CSTV.

No team from outside California has ever reached the finals, and odds are pretty good that trend will continue.

The Cardinal (19-6) would like nothing better than to get one more shot at the Trojans this year. USC has won the previous four meetings, three by one goal. Vargas warned that Stanford can't look ahead too far.

"We have to take care of business," he said. "LMU is a solid team and if their goalie gets hot, it could be tough. They also have Endre Rex-Kiss, and he's one of the best players in college. They have quality players. We won't look ahead to USC. We'll do our work on Saturday and go from there."

Stanford handled the Lions, 10-3, earlier in the season with Varellas and Hopkins combining for six goals.

Neither Varellas nor Hopkins is as vocal as Azevedo, but both have the respect of their younger teammates simply by the way they go about preparation.

"They lead by example," Vargas said. "The others see how they conduct themselves and thy can see their work ethic."

Hopkins, an offensive-minded player, continues to involve his teammates while still looking for his own shots. Playing alongside Azevedo was a challenge for Hopkins.

"I've always thought he was very athletic," Vargas said. "He's refined his game over the past four years, and gets people involved."

Varellas has impressed Vargas with his willingness to improve.

"He gets better and better every single year," Vargas said. "He's taken it upon himself to improve in areas in which he needs improvement. He's gotten stronger, he's improved his defense and his shot selection. He's better in all categories."

Varellas and Hopkins were joined on the Mountain Sports Federation first team by goalie Sandy Hohener, while freshman Will Hindle-Katel was voted MPSF Newcomer of the Year.

Hindle-Katel and junior J.J. Garton received honorable mention.

Stanford has won 10 national titles since 1976, and has finished second on eight other occasions.

Should USC and Stanford get to the title game, players from both sides will recognize familiar faces, and not because the two teams have played so often this year. Palo Alto High grad Ryan Fortune and Menlo School grads Jimmie Sandman and Steven Wright play for the Cardinal, while Sacred Heart Prep grad Brandon Child and Gunn High grad Arjan Ligtenberg are playing for the Trojans.

USC, which is on a 17-game winning streak, is seeking its third NCAA title. The Trojans last won in 2003, beating Stanford in overtime. The Trojans also won the title in 1998 with an overtime win over the Cardinal.

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