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.