Soaring Eagles

Bryce Alderton

Estancia High Boys Water Polo Coach John Carpenter has three goals

for his team as it enters the 2002 season -- make it to the CIF

playoffs, win the Golden West League and attract players to the

school for years to come.

Moving into the Golden West League gives Carpenter and his players

a renewed spirit as the Eagles move from the Pacific Coast League and

perennial water polo powers Corona del Mar, University and Northwood

to the likes of Costa Mesa, Saddleback, Santa Ana and Westminster.

“It’s reasonable to think we have a really good team this year and

there’s no real powerhouses in terms of any one team, which should

make it real exciting and very competitive,” said Carpenter, who

enters his 23rd season coaching the Eagles. “This year I’m saying,

‘Hey guys we can contend for a league title.’ We had a full summer

program with league games and now we’re practicing four hours a day.

The guys have a renewed sense of enthusiasm to do something and keep

that rolling to win league, which helps for recruiting next year. A

successful program breeds more success.”

Senior Jess Hellmich, along with fellow senior Frank Gamboa, who

sat out last season, should anchor the Eagles’ offense, according to

Carpenter, along with junior Paul Collier and John Bates leading the

defense in front of starting goalie and junior Nathan Marsteller.

Hellmich and Gamboa have been playing together for four years and

should provide a solid 1-2 punch, Carpenter said.

Collier should see action on both offense and defense to

compliment the team’s speed, which Carpenter said is vastly improved

from years past.

Other mainstays that figure to make an impact this season are

junior Anthony Herman, senior Anath Varma and sophomore Josh

Kornegay.

“We’re not looking at any one guy on offense,” Carpenter said.

“With (Collier, Gamboa, Bates and Hellmich) we’re going to have kind

of a rotating offense. We have pretty good team speed with those guys

and Matt Meckovich and Chad Kunert.

Both Meckovich (sophomore) and Kunert (freshman) should get

varsity playing time, along with sophomores Richard McElveney, who

will back up Marsteller, and Sean Goodman.