CdM advances with win over Edison

Joseph Boo

CORONA DE MAR - For the first half, Pacific Coast League Champion

Corona del Mar High’s boys water polo team must have been wondering where

the traditional first-round patsy was in the CIF Southern Section

Division II playoffs.

After sticking tough with the Sea Kings (15-9) and playing to a 4-4 tie,

visiting Edison (15-12) promptly got put in its place in the second half,

giving up eight unanswered goals before falling to CdM, 13-6, Friday

afternoon.

Actually, CdM’s scoring streak started at the very end of the first half

after a time out, when Garrett Gentry got a steal, forced an Edison

defender to foul out, and rifled in a wide open shot against the goalie.

Before that goal, the Chargers fought back aggressively from a 4-1 first

quarter deficit to tie the game.

“I just told them we weren’t trying hard enough,” CdM Coach John Vargas

said. “It was just a question of us giving the effort.”

And what an effort the Sea Kings put out after the time out. After

Gentry’s goal at the close of the second quarter, the Sea Kings scored

four more times in the third. Ryan Jetton scored two of his three goals

in that period.

CdM scored three more times at the start of the fourth to remove all

doubts. Edison got two goals at the very end to make it appear closer on

paper.

Except for the second quarter, Edison’s offense had a tough time finding

decent shots. The Chargers slowed the game down, using most of the shot

clock to find a shot, but it still couldn’t get decent looks. And when it

did, CdM goalie Brad Netherton stifled Edison’s attempts, recording nine

saves in three quarters.

Most impressive for CdM was its counterattacks. The Sea Kings got 32

shots on goal, many of them point blank and off the fast break.

Thankfully for Edison, CdM could not convert on all its opportunities. A

couple of point blank shots got blocked and two shots rested on Edison’s

mouth of the goal.

“It’s just a matter of putting the shots in the goal,” Vargas said.

Despite the low percentages of shots converted, 13 goals were more than

enough to win the game.

“We had a few guys who played well for us. Morgan Johnston got us going

on offense. And Chriss Street made some beautiful passes. He played well

for us today.”

The main beneficiaries of the good passing were Gentry, whose four goals

led all scorers, Jetton, and Garrett Bowlus, who scored twice for the Sea

Kings.

CdM advances to the second round and will face (El Dorado-Santa

Margarita) on Tuesday, with the site to be determined.

CIF DIVISION II

Edison 1 3 0 2 - 6

Corona del Mar 4 1 4 4 - 13

Edison: Carman 2, Kobzeff 1, Schuberth 1, Taque 1, Thurston 1. Saves:

Espinoza 9.

Corona del Mar: Gentry 4, Jetton 3, Bowlus 2, Jackson 1, Fabian 1

Johnston 1, Niehenke 1. Saves: Netherton 9, Kim 2.