MANN UP!

Bryce Alderton

For six years Tim Salvino assisted Corona del Mar High Boys Water

Polo Head coach John Vargas, waiting for the chance to someday run

the show for one of the most prolific high school boys water polo

teams in the country in Corona del Mar High.

So when Vargas took the head coaching job of the men’s water polo

team at Stanford, Salvino enthusiastically accepted the promotion to

head coach and now looks forward to his first season leading the Sea

Kings, who won their third straight CIF Southern Section Division II

championship last fall.

“It’s truly an honor to be the man selected to take over this

program,” Salvino said. “It’s a lesson in perseverance, about paying

your dues to get what you want.”

CdM outscored its playoff opponents, 67-14 last season, to finish

24-3 and give Vargas his seventh championship in 19 years coaching at

CdM. The Sea Kings also won their third straight Pacific Coast League

title going undefeated last season.

This season Salvino has a group of 12 seniors and five juniors

from last season’s championship team including senior goalies Beau

Stockstill and Tyler Brundage, John Mann, who played on the United

States National team, Co-CIF Division II Player of the Year Artie

Dorr, fraternal twins Jason and David DiRocco, Ryan Moore, Ali

Kattan, Kevin Amendt, Tom Harper, Spencer Harris, John Money, and

juniors Griffin Gentry, Nadeem Hakim, Travis Hersh, Daniel Niehenke

and Scott Street.

“I’m very excited,” said Salvino about starting the season. “We

trained all summer long. They’re looking good -- strong, focused and

ready. We have real balance, a lot of seniors on the team with a lot

of experience.”

Corona del Mar won its third straight CIF Division II title, and

12th boys water polo section title overall last year, defeating

Esperanza, 16-4, in the finals at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

In the Esperanza win, the 6-foot, 230-pound Dorr, Bobby Messenger

and Marcello Pantuliano each scored three goals, while the 6-foot-4,

210-pound Mann, Jason DiRocco and Michael March each added two goals

apiece for the champions.

March and Pantuliano have graduated and are bound for UCLA and

Stanford, respectively, but the Sea Kings still feature a balanced

attack and one that Salvino is familiar with.

“It’s a smooth transition because I already know the system and

they’ve all been in the program,” Salvino said. “A lot of kids

mentioned have older brothers that played whom I’ve known for quite

awhile. I’m very excited.”

Although the Sea Kings are not scheduled to meet Back Bay rival

Newport Harbor during the season, the two schools are entered in

three tournament -- the South Coast, Southern California and Northern

California invitationals.

And, the two meet in a preseason scrimmage on Sept. 14.

CdM opens the 2002 season Sept. 17 against Capistrano Valley at

Saddleback Junior College in Mission Viejo.