Another Title for Wilson

The Long Beach Wilson boys’ water polo team continues to make winning Southern Section Division I titles look easy. Then again, that’s what the counterattack is all about.

The top-seeded Bruins made good use of their best weapon Tuesday night against third-seeded Santa Ana Foothill. They scored nine goals on counterattacks to pave the way to a 13-11 victory at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach, clinching a fourth consecutive section title and eighth in nine years.

“That was our game plan, to go out and swim as hard as we can because no one can swim with us,” said junior Matt Sagehorn, who led the Bruins with five goals and six steals.

Wilson (30-2) was probably at its best early in the second quarter, when Sagehorn produced steals on Foothill’s first three possessions. After his third, he passed to Scott Swanson, who skipped a shot into the goal to tie the score, 2-2. Scott Huntley then stole the ball at mid-pool from Kevin Oland, drew a 20-second ejection on Oland and then passed the ball to Swanson, who gave the Bruins a lead they would never relinquish.

The Knights (21-9) cut the lead to one four times in the second half, but each time Wilson quickly answered, twice producing man-advantage goals. Foothill’s last push came with 1:24 left, when Garrett Hayes cut the lead to 12-11. But on its next possession, Ryan Cummins skipped his shot over the goal and Wilson goalkeeper Chay Lapin quickly fired an outlet pass to Sagehorn on a breakaway that clinched the victory.

J.W. Krumpholz scored five goals to lead the Knights, who are 0-3 against Wilson in section finals, losing by a combined five goals.

Riverside Poly 10, La Verne Damien 6 -- Juniors Jessee Warkentin, Christian Cardey and Colin Tewskbury led the top-seeded Bears (27-6) to their third Division V title in five seasons.

Warkentin stopped 10 shots, including a four-meter penalty throw late in the first half, while Cardey scored four goals and Tewksbury had three against the third-seeded Spartans (23-7-1).

The Bears took a 4-1 lead after the first quarter and Damien never got closer. Riverside Poly led, 7-2, when Warkentin stopped Steve Donohoe’s penalty shot. Warkentin later saved a point-blank shot by the Spartans’ Kenny Glover with Poly leading by four goals but down a man because of an ejection with 3 minutes 30 seconds left in the third quarter.

Daniel Perdew scored two goals to lead Damien, which lost in the final for the second year in a row after it had beaten Poly, 10-9, for the division title in 2002. The Spartans also fell in the 2001 final match.

La Verne Bonita 14, El Segundo 4 -- Ryan Allred had seven goals for top-seeded Bonita (23-8-1), which won its fourth consecutive division title in its seventh straight finals appearance.

Bonita led, 6-0, at halftime, but second-seeded El Segundo (24-8) scored twice to pull within 6-2 before Allred scored three consecutive goals to extend the Bearcats’ advantage to 9-2 midway through the third quarter.

El Segundo, which got two goals from Stephen Homeyer, was making its first appearance in a championship match since a berth in the 2-A Division final in 1985. The Eagles won 12 titles from 1947 to 1964.