Boys water polo: Tars get it done, roll past El Toro, 12-6
Richard Dunn
LOS ALAMITOS - Both coaches showed the video of last year’s
semifinal overtime thriller prior to Saturday’s much-anticipated rematch
between Newport Harbor High and longtime nemesis El Toro.
The early-morning video session seemed to inspire the top-seeded
Sailors more than Coach Don Stoll’s Chargers, who have served as Harbor’s
postseason villain the past two seasons with semifinal victories,
including the historic 1999 version when El Toro’s Trevor McMunn scored
the winning goal in sudden death as the Sailors were once again denied
their first CIF championship game appearance since 1987.
“It was a year ago (Saturday), and every one of those guys played in
that game,” Newport Harbor co-head coach Brian Kreutzkamp said, pointing
to his Tars (28-5), following a redemptive victory if there ever was one,
12-6, over El Toro (19-12) in the CIF Southern Section Division I
semifinals at the Los Alamitos USA Aquatic Center.
The top-seeded Tars, reminded of a bitter conclusion to their junior
year in boys water polo, started taking El Toro apart in the second
quarter.
“Usually in the third and fourth quarters we show good team speed (and
pull away from teams on the counterattack), but today it came in the
second quarter,” said Kreutzkamp, who added that his team played its best
game of the season at two meters with seniors Peter Belden, Ryan Cook and
Steven Jendrusina.
Since McMunn’s winning shot a year ago to upset the division’s second
seed, Kreutzkamp said his team, along with veteran coach Bill Barnett,
has tried to figure out “where it can get back that inch?”
Newport Harbor had plenty of room to spare in this third straight
semifinal clash against the perennial South Coast League champions.
Now, the Sea View League champion Sailors face Century League champion
Foothill in the CIF Division I championship game Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
at Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool.
The Tars, trying for their first CIF title since 1984, have beaten
Foothill twice this season in three games. The upset-minded Knights
knocked off second-seeded Long Beach Wilson, 8-4, in the other semifinal.
Prior to third-seeded Foothill’s win, Kreutzkamp was asked which team
he’d rather face in the finals.
“Nobody wants to play Long Beach Wilson at Long Beach Wilson (Belmont
Plaza), after (the Bruins) have won four CIF titles in a row,” said
Kreutzkamp, whose team has outscored three playoff opponents this fall,
42-18.
Newport Harbor, which defeated El Toro 18 days earlier in a nonleague
game, 14-6, pulled away after a 4-4 tie in the second quarter.
“In my opinion, El Toro was out of gas, especially after that (11-10
overtime) win over Villa Park (Tuesday in the quarterfinals),” Kreutzkamp
said.
Senior Brett McCleave, El Toro’s best player, scored from two meters
with 3:59 left in the second quarter, tying the game, 4-4.
But Newport Harbor scored three straight goals to end the first half,
then tallied three in a row to open the third quarter and build a 10-4
lead.
On the 10th goal, Cook, who mastered a game-high seven goals, scored
from two meters on a counterattack pass from Belden with 2:50 to play in
the third quarter, after Belden made a steal at the other end to thwart a
man-up advantage for El Toro.
“There you have it. Too much Cook and not enough McCleave,” Stoll
said. “For a half, we were still in it. But I think Ryan Cook and Peter
Belden remember last year a lot. My guys are mostly back (next year), but
we lose (148) goals in McCleave.”
Stoll also did not substitute any players. “And they bring in new
guys,” he said of the Tars, “plus, they’re the fastest team in the
county.”
While it has been 13 years since Newport Harbor played for a CIF
title, the Tars denied the Chargers their eighth CIF title-game
appearance under Stoll. El Toro has won five CIF championships. “And
we’ve been in a million semifinals,” Stoll said.
After a 3-3 tie in the first quarter, Belden, who easily won all four
sprints, scored from the hole on the counterattack in the second quarter
with 4:24 left, giving the designated visitors a 4-3 edge.
But McCleave (two goals) skipped a shot under Newport goalie Brandon
McLain’s arm to even the match.
Cook, who scored six goals in Harbor’s quarterfinal win over Loyola,
fired a one-hopper past El Toro goalie Jeremy Randall, after a pass from
senior Kyle Bean. It gave Newport a 5-4 lead and ignited a 6-0 scoring
run.
Senior Greg Worthing scored for Harbor on an assist from Cook, then
Cook capped the second-quarter scoring with a lob from outside with 1:10
to play in the half.
After their 7-4 halftime lead, the Sailors began to pull away with
three more goals by Cook, who scored on a left-handed lob shot on the
counterattack, a fall-away at two meters and another from the hole.
“We kept dropping the ball more and more into two meters,” said
Kreutzkamp.
Now, after having exorcised some El Toro-semifinal demons, the Tars
can concentrate on Foothill and go for the school’s 11th CIF title and
first in 16 years.
CIF DIVISION I SEMIFINALS
Newport Harbor 12, El Toro 6
Score by Quarters
Newport Harbor 3 4 3 3 - 12
El Toro 3 1 1 1 - 6
Newport Harbor - Cook 7, Belden 2, Jendrusina 1, Littrell 1, Worthing
1. Saves - McLain 7, Johnson 4.
El Toro - McCleave 2, Danna 1, Wright 1, Fortney 1, Patterson 1. Saves
- Randall 6.
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