Axelrad Stands Tall Among Great Goalies

They are the last line of defense in the water, and always the last name mentioned in a boxscore.

But never least important.

The goalie is the centerpiece of the defense in water polo, and can make or break a team’s season.

Considering that, it appears there won’t be much changing of the guard among boys’ teams in the region this season.

Each of the five teams that advanced at least to the Southern Section semifinals last year return an outstanding goalie.

There’s not much argument that Harvard-Westlake’s Joe Axelrad is the cream of the crop.

“Joe has great legs and I think that’s the focus on his tending right now,” Coach Rich Corso said.

“He’s got not only great vertical support, but unbelievable recovery laterally. That means that his second effort is just fantastic.”

Axelrad, the Mission League goalie of the year, also plays for the U.S. national youth team.

Harvard-Westlake, which lost to Long Beach Wilson, 11-7, in the Division I final, won 25 of 30 games last season. A year later, the Wolverines look just as formidable with Axelrad in goal.

“Joe is from the rich tradition of Harvard goalies,” Corso said.

La Canada is relying on the experience and talent of Lloyd Masson, who was chosen outstanding goalie of the U.S. Naval Academy’s water polo camp.

Masson picked up where he left off last season, collecting 45 saves in five Poway tournament games last week. Two were blocks on penalty shots.

“The kid is pretty good,” Coach Larry Naeve said.

Agoura’s Justin Rosa is also garnering attention because of his strong legs and quick hands. He had 251 saves, 32 assists and 38 steals in goal last season for the Chargers, Division IV semifinalists.

“He’s got a good sense of what’s going on,” Coach Jason Rosenthal said. “He’s one of those with a never-quit attitude.”

Burroughs coaches say the same about goalie Bart Bagdasarian, who is off to a fast start. He had 70 saves in five tournament games last week.

“He’s maybe the second-best goalie in [Division III] behind [Masson],” said George Akopyan, a fourth-year assistant coach.

Other than Axelrad at Harvard-Westlake, Ventura’s David Miller has the most playoff experience, leading the Cougars to the Divison IV final last season.

Teams to watch:

* Harvard-Westlake: Despite losing three starters to graduation--including Peter Hudnut, The Times’ 1998 regional player of the year--the Wolverines are again the most competitive team in the region.

With All-Americans Axelrad and Daniel Herr, and returning starters James Bloomingdale and Brian Ault, the Wolverines again have the talent to contend for a section title.

Harvard-Westlake outscored opponents, 53-13, in three nonleague games in Texas last week.

* Crescenta Valley: The Falcons will miss graduated all-section players Justin Payne and Kenny Carpenter, but the seven-time Pacific League champions are far from rebuilding.

Three starters return from a team that was eliminated in the second round of the Division III playoffs, including two-meter/driver Carlos Pelayo, who scored 74 goals last season.

“He has the ability to score 100-plus [this season],” Coach Pete Loporchio said.

* La Canada: The Spartans lost All-Americans Charles Chang and Michael McDay to graduation, but a solid corps remains from the Division III semifinalists.

In addition to Masson at goalie, La Canada will rely on returning starters Cyrus Jamnejad and Ben Jorgensen, two of 14 seniors who have been playing together since the eighth grade.

“I think we potentially have a better team than last year,” Naeve said. “They’ve got some real good vision of what they want to do.”

* Ventura: With a 26-2 record, the Cougars enjoyed the most successful season in school history with a runner-up finish to Santa Maria Righetti in the Division IV final.

“We’re better than we were last year,” Coach Joe Abing said. “Last year we were very good, but we weren’t used to being that good.”

Four starters return, including two-meter man Mike Derse, who Abing calls the best player in Division IV.

“There’s nobody that is going to be able to score on him,” Abing said. “He’s the fastest guy in the pool.”

* Agoura: Three starters return from a team that snapped Royal’s streak of 17 consecutive Marmonte League titles and lost to Ventura in the Division IV semifinals.

“They’ve put a lot of hard work in this summer,” Rosenthal said of his players. “And they know everyone is going to be gunning for them.”

* Royal: The Highlanders lost only two players to graduation, including leading scorer Ryan Apperson, from a team that lost in the second round of the Division IV playoffs.

With five returning starters, Royal will push Agoura for league and division titles.

AT A GLANCE

* THE PROVEN: Royal goalie Tom Onyshko, a 6-foot junior, is among the best goalies in the region and is poised to get the recognition he deserves. “He’s very good, one of the best we’ve ever had,” Coach Steve Snyder said. Multi-purpose Derek Anderson and Marc Ellison also return. However, Ellison has been recovering from a shoulder injury since April and will not start immediately. . . Burroughs senior Jason Falitz is a virtual one-man show. He scored a state-high 187 goals as a junior, which ranks fourth best in state history. . . Junior driver Jeff Little and senior wing Robert Curreri combined for 57 goals last year for Crescenta Valley. . . Agoura senior driver Hans Larsen scored 80 goals last season. . . Brett Phillips and Jordan Graham are big parts of Ventura’s balanced scoring attack. . . Seniors Ed Patterson and Bryan Hiscox, All-Rio Hondo League selections, figure prominently in La Canada’s scheme.

* THE PROMISING: Crescenta Valley is buoyed by the return of all-section swimmer Sean Winchell, a senior driver who sat out last season to concentrate on swimming. . . Agoura’s Rob Kane and Matt Monaco are returning lettermen with game experience. Freshman Donovan Tatum of Agoura played for the prestigious Harvard Club. . . Sophomore Jeff Gross, Harvard-Westlake’s No. 2 goalie, could start for any team in the region.

* FAST FACT: Only 21 teams from the region compete in Southern Section boys’ water polo. Water polo is not a sanctioned sport in the City.

The Top 5

Preaseason rankings of water polo teams from the region

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RK School (League) ’98 1 Harvard-Westlake (Mission) 25-5 2 Ventura (Channel) 26-2 3 Crescenta Valley (Pacific) 20-6 4 La Canada (Rio Hondo) 23-5 5 Agoura (Marmonte) 20-8

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