CdM comes up short-handed

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Corona del Mar High boys water polo fans could

empathize Monday with Cleveland Browns rooters, after the Sea Kings’

much-anticipated season opener against nonleague visitor Servite spun

regretfully down the drain.

The Browns’ ballyhooed return to the NFL resulted in a 43-0 home loss to

Pittsburgh Sunday night.

“What could have gone wrong, did,” said Sea Kings Coach John Vargas, who

arrived home from a U.S. national team scouting trip in Italy Sunday

night, just in time to see the defending CIF Southern Section Division II

champion Friars give his team the boot, 14-5.

The Sea Kings, expected to be ranked No. 1 in Division II after their

shift to the Pacific Coast League dropped them out of Division I, were

missing three starters due to illness.

Senior co-captains Garrett Gentry and David Fabian, first-team and

second-team All-Sea View League, respectively, a year ago, sat this one

out, as did senior D.J. Jackson. Senior starter Morgan Jackson, also

under the weather, played only sparingly.

Servite, with CIF Division II Co-Player of the Year Michael Kim among

three All-CIF returners, was not about to cut the hosts any slack.Servite

scored three of the first four goals en route to a 3-2 lead after one

quarter, then netted all four second-period goals to take control.

“(The Sea Kings) were missing three kids, including their best player

(Gentry), which does two things,” Servite Coach Jim Sprague theorized.

“First, it weakens their team. Second, it makes it hard for their kids to

get fired up, because they were missing three kids. We played very well

today, but with their three kids missing, it makes it hard to evaluate.”

Sprague said his team would be ranked No. 2 in a Division II preseason

poll, though such a poll has yet to be reported by coaches in charge of

the task.

Though disappointed, Vargas wasn’t ready to push any panic buttons.

“Even with our three guys out, I thought we should have given them a

better game,” the national team coach said. “But it’s still early. If

we’re playing this way in a month, then we’re in trouble.”

On the bright side, the absences allowed others to add varsity seasoning.

Junior Garrett Bolus was among those who stepped up, according to his

coach.

“(Bolus) is usually our third or fourth set, behind Gentry, Fabian and

(senior Alex) Niehenke,” Vargas said. “But he stepped up today and scored

three goals.”

Kim, a 200-pound veteran, was clearly the most dangerous player in the

pool. He paced the Friars with five goals, including two during the

decisive second quarter.

Bolus accounted for both first-half scores for the hosts, one on an

assist by senior Brady Flynn.

Flynn opened the second-half scoring and Bolus converted a Matt Petry

assist with a windmill shot from the hole to close the gap to 7-4 with

5:00 left in the third period.

But Servite answered with five straight goals to make its case as the top

“dawg” in Division II.

Junior Chris Street added the other goal for CdM, which had five shots

bounce off either the crossbar or the goal posts to supplement Servite

keeper Mark de Graase’s 10 saves.

Brad Netherton had five saves for the Sea Kings, who return to action

Friday, hosting a Foothill squad ranked fifth in CIF Division I.

NONLEAGUE

Servite 14, Corona del Mar 5

Servite 3 4 4 3 - 14

Corona del Mar 2 0 2 1 - 5

Servite - Kim 5, Milward 3, Carroll 2, Shadrick 1, Bevins 1, Moungian 1.

Saves - de Grasse 10.

Corona del Mar - Bolus 3, Flynn 1, Street 1. Saves - Netherton 5.