It was a dream regular season for the Pacheco boys water polo team, with a run through the Western Athletic Conference to snag the school's first playoff spot in any sport.</p><p>But former league foe Ripon offered a rude welcome to the next level of competition with a 17-2 rout Thursday afternoon at Woodcreek High in Roseville.</p><p>"They were up by 5 goals pretty quick. They were much faster than us," Pacheco coach Josh Weinberger said. "Our guys just didn't have their heads in the game -- it wasn't like the Los Banos game. They just kind of lost spirit toward the end of the game."</p><p>Daniel Judson gave Pacheco its first goal in the first quarter, and Brian King was the only other Panther to score. Both goals came from inside the 2-meter line.</p><p>"Daniel managed to get inside the 2 and kind of tucked it into the goal without really shooting," Weinberger said. "And Brian managed to do the same thing."</p><p>Ripon and Pacheco both played in the Valley Foothill League last year, a combination of the WAC and the Valley Foothill League for water polo. With Livingston's program starting this year, the two leagues split.</p><p>Ripon won the VOL this year, while Pacheco earned the second seed from the WAC. Weinberger says the team already has the foundation to build upon.</p><p>"The teamwork, and the cooperation we'll bring back," he said. "I'm real proud of how far these guys have come from where they started this year. They've surprassed everybody's expectations."</p><p>With the loss behind them, the Panthers are already looking inward to find what will make them successful at the next level.</p><p>"I think it's a great experience for them, because now they know they can make it," Weinberger said. "Now we're trying to get to the playoffs every year. The conditioning has to come up."</p><p>The Los Banos girls water polo team opens the playoffs Saturday against El Dorado at at Whitney High School in Rocklin.</p><p>Enterprise reporter David Witte can be reached by phone at 388-6565 or by e-mail at sports@losbanosenterprise.com