Mustangs win with meaning

Bryce Alderton

A nonleague game this late in the season between two schools not in

the same CIF division might catch some squads looking ahead to

another contest down the line.

Not so with the Costa Mesa High boys water polo team.

“Every game has meaning, that is why they practice,” Costa Mesa

Coach Tim Postiff said after his Mustangs sped past visiting Sage

Hill School, 22-4, in intermittent rain showers Tuesday.

“If I told [the players the game] doesn’t mean anything, they

wouldn’t want to play,” Postiff said.

The Mustangs (12-3, 4-0 in the Golden West League) started as if

it was a CIF playoff contest, building an 8-1 lead after one quarter

and taking a 13-1 edge into halftime.

Sage Hill Coach Jeff Andrews said every game this season is a

learning experience for his team.

The Lightning (10-8), who compete as a freelance school in CIF

Southern Section Division VI, learned very quickly the potency of

Mesa’s speed and strength.

The Mustangs applied unrelenting pressure to set off numerous

counterattacks.

Junior two-meter man Kyle Thorsness led the Mustangs with seven

goals while tallying four assists. Teammate Adam Douglas scored four

goals while John Roche and Evan Spencer each contributed three.

“[Mesa] is an outstanding team,” said a frustrated Andrews

following the game. “At this point, we’re not [at Mesa’s level] yet.”

This year’s Lightning are believed to have won the most games in

the program’s five-year existence. Sage tallied three of its four

goals in the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs had built a 19-1 lead

that was too much to overcome.

Junior Julian Tooma led the Lightning with two goals while Jordan

Cline and Chris Mazzo each contributed one.

The Lightning, though, didn’t have an answer for the Mustangs’

man-to-man defense that forced numerous steals and led to 34 shots.

The Mustangs were able to set up their offense on several

occasions, passing around until they found the open shot.

Adam Adamowicz scored twice while Luke Yellin, Chris Medina and

Nick Fisk each tallied one goal for the Mustangs in front of

goalkeeper Matt Jaroslawski, who made eight saves. Spencer added four

assists.

Even with the big lead, Mesa Coach Tim Postiff didn’t have to

remind his players to remain motivated.

The Mustangs have three substitutes to the starting seven, Postiff

said.

“It gives a chance for guys to prove their skills,” Postiff said.

“The guys are always competing for spots.”

The Mustangs lead both Saddleback and Estancia by one game each

with all three teams having two remaining league contests spanning

the next two weeks.

The Lightning have three games remaining to try gaining an

at-large berth into the CIF Division VI playoffs.

*--*

Nonleague

Costa Mesa 22, Sage Hill 4

Score by Quarters

Sage Hill 1 0 0 3 -- 4

Mesa 8 5 6 3 -- 22

Sage -- Tooma 2, Cline 1, Mazzo 1. Saves --

Harold 10. Mesa -- Thorsness 7, Douglas 4, Roche

3, Spencer 3, Adamowicz 2, Yellin 1, Medina 1,

Fisk 1. Saves -- Jaroslawski 8.

*--*