El Toro takes over Harbor

Steve Virgen

Momentum was a huge factor in a high-powered, evenly matched CIF

Southern Section Division I boys water polo quarterfinal Saturday

morning.

Almost every time Newport Harbor High seemed to have grabbed it,

El Toro was there to steal it back. Coach Don Stoll’s Chargers were

also opportunistic and made more key plays to earn a 10-7 victory

over Newport at El Toro.

The Chargers (23-6), champions of the South Coast League,

collected three goals in which each of the tallies came less than 19

seconds after the Sailors had scored.

Newport did come within, 8-7, with 3:47 remaining when sophomore

Carson Hill made good on an open outside shot. But, a little more

than a minute later, and after some back-and-forth action, El Toro

senior Dorian Beaney scored what proved to be the game’s most pivotal

goal.

With the shot clock winding down, Beaney connected on a shot from

near half-tank. The ball hit just below the bar and into the cage,

giving El Toro a 9-7 lead with 2:05 left. T.J. Fuentes scored a

power-play goal with 53 seconds left, putting the game out of reach,

and sending Newport Harbor home for the second straight year.

Last year, El Toro defeated Newport, 9-8, in a quarterfinal.

“No one likes to lose, but we have no regrets,” Newport Coach

Jason Lynch said. “We left it all in the pool.

“We were down the whole game and never quit,” he said. “We kept on

coming after them. We kept going at them. I’m proud of them for

that.”

Both coaches agreed that El Toro’s ability to crush the Sailors’

hopes for momentum made the difference.

“To score three goals [each time after Newport scored], that’s a

momentum change,” said Stoll, whose team went 4 for 7 on the

extra-man advantage and also scored on a four-meter penalty shot.

“They score and you go right back in their face.”

Seniors Michael Bury and Griffin Gentry, along with sophomore Clay

Jorth, scored two goals each. Bury showed his strength, overpowering

his defenders on both of his goals. Bury had seven shots, two steals

and drew a six-on-five opportunity. Newport was 0 for 3 on the power

play.

“Michael Bury has been huge for this program,” said Lynch who had

urged the two-meter player to fulfill his potential earlier this

season. “I’ve always said he’s the most dominant two-meter man in

[Division I] and he showed that. He was huge for us. He led by

example. I thought the last two weeks he really stepped it up.”

*--*

CIF Division I Quarterfinal

El Toro 10, Newport Harbor 7

Score by Quarters

Newport 1 1 3 2 -- 7

El Toro 1 3 3 3 -- 10

Newport -- Jorth 2, Bury 2, Gentry 2, Hill 1.

Saves -- Robinson 7. El Toro -- Allen 3, Fuentes

2, Beaney 2, Lindstrom 1, Holbrook 1, Danna 1.

Saves -- Shore 13.

*--*