Water polo: Top-seeded Sea Kings romp over Katella, 17-3

Richard Dunn

CORONA DEL MAR - The day started earlier than usual for Corona del

Mar High Coach John Vargas and his Sea Kings with a high-noon opening

sprint Friday against Katella in the first round of the CIF Southern

Section Division II boys water polo playoffs.

But, following the top-seeded Sea Kings’ 17-3 victory over the

visiting Knights in Step One, the day’s duties were far from completed

for Vargas and his staff.

Step Two involved watching fourth-seeded Santa Margarita against El

Dorado in the afternoon -- a potential semifinal opponent -- and Step

Three was scouting Edison and Buena Park in a night match. CdM plays the

Edison-Buena Park winner in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

CdM (19-5), the defending CIF Division II champion which has defeated

four Division I schools this season, defeated Katella with little

resistance.

The Sea Kings, who won all four sprints uncontested, bolted through

Katella with their counterattack in the first half, building a 12-1

halftime lead.

Katella senior Nick Donnelly scored 1:14 into the game to give Coach

Grafton Weiss’ Knights a 1-0 edge.

“We were hoping they would call the game after it was 1-0 in our

favor,” Weiss quipped.

Katella (10-17), the Empire League’s third-place representative,

didn’t score again until a penalty shot by Kevin Prues with 1:49 left in

the third quarter, a span of nearly 18 clock minutes without a goal.

By that time, Corona del Mar enjoyed a 15-1 lead and its starters --

led by seniors Chriss Street (six goals) and Garrett Bowlus (four) and

junior Michael March (three) -- were out of the pool.

“Hopefully, we can build momentum off this,” said Vargas, whose Sea

Kings have captured back-to-back Pacific Coast League championships.

Vargas, the men’s U.S. Olympic water polo coach at the 2000 Sydney

Games, pulled his first-stringers after Street scored his sixth goal with

5:15 remaining on the third-quarter timer on a goalie assist from junior

Sherwin Kim, whose quarterback-like pass was right on target.

“You never know what’s going to happen, and in CIF we take everything

pretty seriously,” Vargas said. “Chriss Street played well, and so did

Garrett Bowlus and Michael March, whose defense sometimes goes

unnoticed.”

CdM converted on six of seven shot attempts in the first quarter as

Street and Bowlus produced the first five goals. March’s goal with 0:07

left, on an assist by Bowlus during a man-up advantage, gave the Sea

Kings a 6-1 lead after one quarter.

March scored 18 seconds into the second quarter to ignite CdM’s

ensuing onslaught of goals -- six more -- for a rather comfortable lead

at intermission.

Defensively, Street (two steals), Chase Emery, Marcello Pantuliano and

Chris Hinger had steals in the second quarter, while CdM goalie Beau

Stockstill provided three rejections.

Matt Meyer gave CdM a 14-goal lead in the third quarter after scoring

on a counterattack with 4:22 left. Meyer and Brandon Powers had steals

for CdM in the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, March scored on an assist from John Mann and

Powers tallied the final goal on a goalie assist from Stockstill, who

earlier almost made a goal from the other side of the tank.

Griffin Gentry was among the CdM defenders to record a steal in the

final seven minutes.

CIF Division IIFirst RoundCorona del Mar 17, Katella 3Score by

QuartersKatella 1 0 1 1 -- 03Corona del Mar 6 6 3 2 --

17Katella - Prues 1, Donnelly 1, Kissinger 1. Saves - Jara 10.

Corona del Mar - Street 6, Bowlus 4, March 3, Gentry 1, Meyer 1,

Pantuliano 1, Powers 1. Saves - Kim 3, Stockstill 6.