Sailors rally past Foothill, 8-7

Richard Dunn

While Newport Harbor High’s boys water polo team clinched its

second straight Sea View League title, Wednesday night’s

come-from-behind victory over host Foothill, 8-7, was much sweeter

for the Sailors than last year’s league championship.

With Foothill entering the picture this year to push the Sailors,

a longtime rivalry became much juicier with the league title at

stake.

“It’s the first real meaningful (league championship),” Newport

Harbor second-year coach Jason Lynch said. “It’s huge to have

Foothill come in here (to the Sea View League) and beat them. Last

year, (winning league) was a given.”

Foothill (14-11, 4-1 in league) had a 7-5 lead until Newport

Harbor senior driver Ross Sinclair scored on a four-meter shot with

4:12 left in the game to trigger the Sailors’ fourth-quarter rally,

which was capped by senior Brent Armstrong’s steal in the waning

seconds. Armstrong also ran out the final 21 seconds on the clock.

“We’re taught to do that,” Armstrong said of his knack for pushing

the ball away from Foothill defender Jayce Seymour, taking fouls and

protecting the ball while the game’s final precious seconds ticked

away.

“It’s hard sometimes, but you just have to stay on your legs. It

makes your heart pound knowing there are 17 seconds left and if they

get the ball back they have a chance of tying the game. It makes you

feel good when the clock finally runs out.”

The Sailors (18-9, 5-0), ranked No. 3 in Orange County and No. 5

in the Southland, tied the game, 7-7, on Jay Thompson’s counterattack

goal with 2:12 left on an assist by Nathan Weiner.

After a Foothill offensive foul gave Newport Harbor possession

with 1:55 to play, the Sailors converted for the winning goal.

Newport drew a Foothill ejection at 1:29, then Weiner scored five

seconds later on the man advantage.

Foothill, ranked seventh in the county and eighth in the

Southland, attempted a shot on its next trip down, but the ball

skimmed the water and Newport Harbor goalie Nathan McLain was

credited with a save.

Foothill goalie Sandy Hohener stopped a shot, then turnovers were

exchanged before the Knights had possession with less than 30 seconds

left.

Armstrong made his steal while guarding the hole, then protected

the ball as Seymour chased him to no avail. Newport Harbor called

timeout with 0:07 to play, and the ball ended up in Armstrong’s hands

again.

“We just told our guys at the beginning of the fourth quarter

that, ‘hey, this is your quarter, this is your game,’” said Lynch,

whose team, which will probably be seeded fourth in the upcoming CIF

Southern Section Division I Playoffs. “We’ve come back more than once

this year. We were down six to Corona del Mar once (before losing

17-15 in overtime) ... our counterattack was intense in the fourth

quarter. That’s what we preach around here, the fact that we’re in

shape. We work hard.”

The Tars, who scored on half of their 10 player-advantage

situations, had only one other lead in the game -- and that was 1-0.

The game was tied four times. Foothill enjoyed two-goal leads at

5-3 early in the third quarter, 6-4 midway through the third and 7-5

at third quarter’s end -- the largest leads of the contest.

“We just went hard in the fourth quarter,” Sinclair said. “We know

how to come back. We came back in the fourth quarter against Corona

del Mar, but came up just short. We worked too hard to lose this one.

We worked hard and it paid off.”

Newport Harbor tied it for the third time, 3-3, when Sinclair

scored with 0:37 remaining in the first half, after getting a pass

from Armstrong and pushing the ball to close range before firing a

strike past Hohener.

Foothill, however, took the lead before recess, 4-3, on Alex

Cripe’s goal with 0:27 left.

Armstrong and Sinclair scored twice, while Michael Bury, Charlie

Hockenberry, Weiner and Thompson added one each.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Newport Harbor 8, Foothill 7

Score by Quarters

Newport 1 2 2 3

- 8

Foothill 2 2 3 0

-- 7

Newport - Sinclair 2, Armstrong 2, Hockenberry 1, Bury

1, Thompson 1, Weiner 1. Saves: McLain 2.

Foothill - Wills 2, Reynolds 2, Oland 2, Cripe 1. Saves:

Hohener 6.