Boys water polo: Newport can’t hold Wilson off, 12-11.

Joseph Boo

BELMONT PLAZA - If the Sailors thought Long Beach Wilson High’s

boys water polo team was tough, wait till they go to practice.

Newport Harbor looked like the No. 1 team in Orange County during the

first half of its season opener against the defending CIF Southern

Section Division I champion at the Belmont Pool Complex Tuesday evening.

The Sailors built up a 7-4 halftime lead and looked to take their season

opener against the Bruins for the second year in a row.

But despite the loss of Tony Azevedo to the Olympics and Albert Garcia

to UCLA, Long Beach Wilson showed it still has plenty of firepower to gun

down Newport, 12-11, in nonleague play.

While the Bruins have talent, Newport Coach Brian Kreutzkamp was still

riled up that his team allowed Wilson to catch the Sailors in the first

place.

“In the third or fourth quarter, we just quit swimming,” he said. “We

didn’t get a single counter attack in the second half. We’re supposed to

outswim the other team in the second half, and we didn’t do that.”

Newport’s Peter Belden seemingly broke open a close game with three

goals in a minute’s span at the end of the second quarter. Ryan Cook

scored twice while goalie Shawn Johnson made 10 saves, and Newport (0-1)

was sitting pretty with a 7-4 lead.

It took Long Beach Wilson (1-0) roughly four minutes to tie it up in

the third quarter.Cook scored his third goal of the game for Newport, but

four different Bruins scored to tie the game at 8.

Long Beach Wilson took its first lead with two minutes remaining in

the third quarter when Ian Christiansen put up a quick shot off a pass.

Newport tied the game at the end of the quarter when Joey Snelgrove

rifled a shot in from the left side. After the first three minutes of the

fourth quarter went scoreless, the Bruins took their biggest lead with

two quick goals.

It came down to the final two minutes of the game before Belden

converted a penalty shot to cut Wilson’s lead. Snelgrove then made a

steal and Belden scored again from the two-meter spot to tie the game.

With Newport primed to steal a game it had let slip through earlier,

Christiansen scored from the outside for the winning goal with a minute

remaining.

“The kids on our team never quit playing,” Long Beach Wilson Coach

Tony Martinho said.

Despite Wilson’s mighty effort, it still left Kreutzkamp chagrined at

what he had seen from his Sailors.

“We didn’t look like a team full of seniors,” he said. “A senior team

would have never lost a 7-4 lead.”

Which means the coach will be pushing his players pretty hard to make

sure a repeat performance does not come.

“Our workouts have been subpar recently. Maybe this game will get us

back in shape.”

Nonleague

Long Beach Wilson 12, Newport Harbor 11

Newport Harbor 3 4 2 2 - 11

Long Beach Wilson 2 2 5 3 - 12

Newport Harbor - Belden 5, Cook 3, Snelgrove 2, Bean 1. Saves -

Johnson 10, McLain 3.

Long Beach Wilson - Shin 5, Christiansen 3, Hale 2, Wenger 1, Foster

1. Saves - Walter 5.