Girls water polo: CdM seeking upset

Barry Faulkner

BELMONT SHORE - The vast knowledge the Corona del Mar High girls

water polo team has absorbed from Coach John Vargas goes beyond skills

and strategy.

As the unseeded Sea Kings (20-11) enter today’s 3 p.m. CIF Southern

Section Division IV title game against top-seeded Santa Margarita (23-6)

at the Belmont Plaza pool, they also bear the wisdom of one of Vargas’

yarns.

“A long time ago, Coach Vargas told us there is always a top dog and an

underdog,” CdM senior goalie Arin Hendrickson said. “And he told us if

the top dog ever goes in thinking it’s going to kick some serious butt,

the underdog usually bites it in the butt.”

CdM, tri-champion of the Pacific Coast League, lost to Santa Margarita in

the Villa Park Tournament the second week in December. Hendrickson

recalled the score was 7-4. But CdM played that game without senior

two-meter standout Melinda Tucker and has shown plenty of teeth in the

postseason.

“Put it this way,” CdM senior Hayley Hapeman said. “We didn’t come this

far to lose.”

Vargas, the U.S. men’s national team coach who has guided the CdM boys

team to eight section title games and five CIF titles, including the

Division II crown last fall, has prepared his girls to win since taking

over the program this season.

Implementing a demanding conditioning program and challenging them to get

the most out of their abilities, he led the former Sea View League

doormat to a share of the PCL title, its first playoff appearance, and to

the brink of adding to the school’s collection of CIF banners.

“He gave us a choice,” Hapeman said. “If we wanted to be good, we had to

be willing to work. We started getting up at 5:30 a.m. during Christmas

vacation, so we could practice twice a day. We never did that before.

Some of our swim sets have been pretty gnarly.”

The CdM defense has allowed opponents to average just four goals in four

playoff games, during which CdM has averaged nearly 10 goals.

After rolling over Katella, 16-2, and Brea Olinda, 11-4, CdM edged

defending Division IV champion Rosary, 7-6, then held off Santa Monica,

5-4, in Tuesday’s semifinal.

“Everything starts with our defense,” said Hendrickson, who has 31

postseason saves and has helped her team post six scoreless quarters in

the playoffs.

Santa Margarita, coached by former Costa Mesa All-CIF goalie Scott

Taylor, who coached the Mesa boys team to the section Division II final

in 1997, has outscored three playoff foes, 27-10.

Danielle Carlson (13 goals), Lauren Guthrie (nine) and Tucker (eight) are

CdM’s top playoff scorers.

Hapeman said the Sea Kings have surprised even themselves, though they

are hardly lacking confidence.

“What it has come down to is, we’ve worked out so hard, we think we can

win,” Hapeman said. “With the work we’ve put in, we think we deserve to

win.”