Water Polo ’94 : Playoff Expansion Welcomed

Look no further than Glendale High to find the significance of the Southern Section’s decision to expand water polo playoff divisions from four to six this season.

Glendale was ranked ninth in the Division III preseason poll, marking the first time the Dynamiters had ever been in the top 10.

“It’s exciting,” Glendale Coach Pat Lancaster said. “You don’t have to be superhuman to be in the rankings anymore. There is no way Glendale would be ranked if we were under the old system.”

Division I still consists of the five leagues with the highest caliber of play, including the Mission League. But the other five divisions are geographically based, with relatively similar levels of play, said Ed Zintel, section spokesman.

The Pacific League is in Division III, which includes teams from Glendale into the San Gabriel Valley. The Marmonte, Channel and Frontier leagues are in Division IV, which covers Ventura County and extends north to Morro Bay.

Zintel said the change was made to ease travel.

But for many area teams, the change means they no longer have to fight Orange County powers for section titles, much less fight traffic to get there.

“It is certainly better for us, after all the years that we had to drive down to Orange County,” said Steve Snyder, coach of Marmonte League member Royal. “And then you might have to drive down again two days later.”

Mission League members Alemany, Crespi, Harvard-Westlake, Notre Dame and St. Francis remain in Division I.