Stopping hard thrown round spheres thrown at him has filled Griffen Price’s summer and after Sunday he won’t have much time to relax before he’s at it again, jumping into the Sacred Heart Prep pool and picking up where he left off.
Price is a water polo goalie, the last line of defense and often the only thing between an opposing player and the back of the net.
After helping the Stanford water polo club 14U A team finish among the top 10 at the USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics in July, Price was asked to join the United States national cadet team, for players 15 and under, on trip to Montenegro and Serbia for a pair of tournaments.
Price recorded 11 saves in the Americans’ 14-5 victory over the Netherlands on Friday at the Darko Cukic Memorial Tournament in Belgrade, where the U.S. has won its first three matches after placing fourth at the Montenegro Cup earlier in the month.
Most of his current teammates were opponents or played in a different age group during the Junior Olympics. Some of his Stanford teammates came from different schools. Such is the life of an elite water polo player.
The U.S., which is looking to defend its tournament title, has outscored its first three opponents by a 44-11 margin. Group play ends Saturday with matches against Malta and Serbia.
Chase Dodd has eight goals thus far to lead the American offense. Jack Martin has five goals and Gray Carson has four.
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By Palo Alto Online Sports/USA water polo
By Palo Alto Online Sports/USA water polo
By Palo Alto Online Sports/USA water polo