Club water polo: Five for Newport in Junior Olympics

NEWPORT BEACH - The Newport Water Polo Foundation has qualified

five teams for the Junior Olympics, July 26-31, in Moraga.

Newport’s men’s and women’s 18-and-under teams, which includes players

from Newport Harbor High, along with three youth squads, boys

14-and-under, girls 14-and-under and boys 12-and-under, will compete in

the week-long tournament.

The Newport men’s water polo club team of 18-and-under players

qualifed for the Junior Olympics in five games in the qualifying

tournament last weekend at Servite High.

Newport defeated Commerce, 10-9, Palos Verdes, 12-3, and Santa

Barbara, 11-3. The Newport boys lost to Harvard-Westlake’s club team,

10-2, and suffered a double-overtime loss to Foothill, 6-5.

Ross Sinclair led Newport with 10 goals in the tournament, including

five in the 12-3 win over Palos Verdes, while Michael Bury added nine

throughout the tourney, including a four-goal effort in the 11-3 victory

over Santa Barbara.

Goalie Michael Robinson recorded 31 saves in the five games (6.1 saves

per game).

Newport, down, 5-4, at halftime against Commerce, went on a 6-3 run in

the third quarter and eventually won, 10-9. Brent Armstrong scored two

goals in the third period, while Sinclair, Bury, Bryan Auer and Gavin

Schmidt added one each.

Nathan Weiner, Trevor Gregory, Charlie Hockenbury, Tanner Hill, Morgan

Laidlaw, Sean McGhie, Matt Zeiser, Andrew Belden, Jay Thompson and Brodie

Curtis will also represent the Newport Water Polo Foundation at the

Junior Olympics.

The 14-and-under boys team includes, Daniel Furman, Brett Auer, Andrew

Bigalke, Chase Cailouette, Parker Gregory, Carson Hill, James Jackson,

Clay Jorth, Hunter Wiley, Nathan Castillo, Blake Hockenbury, Clinton

Jorth and Charlie Ramser.

The 14-and-under girls squad includes, Elizabeth Layton, Jennifer

Cain, Marisa Cottam, Allison Hoff, Hailey Sandberg, Alyssa Peterson,

Sarah Roberts, Devon Shaw, Katie Kepner, Leah Robertson, Danielle Trobman

and Jennifer Peart.

The 14-and-under boys team includes, Spencer Ashurst, Blake Chiapuzio,

Kristopher Craib, Andrew Hayes, Michael Helfrich, Jack Robison, Colin

McKibbin, Zach Osadche, Jonathan Sanglerat, Collin Sherman and Nick

Zeiser.