Sea Kings perched atop Coast

Chris Yemma

The Corona del Mar High boys water polo team got back to winning

after a loss to Long Beach Wilson Saturday, defeating host Laguna

Beach, 8-6, Wednesday to capture the Pacific Coast League title.

Before the 13-7 loss to Wilson in the title game of the Tru West

Memorial Cup invitational in San Jose, the Sea Kings were riding a

nine-game win streak that was capped with a win over Foothill, then

ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division I, in the semifinals of

the tournament.

The Sea Kings have won 10 of their last 11 games, including wins

against league rivals Northwood, Tesoro, University, and Wednesday,

Laguna Beach, to finish 4-0 in league (17-8 overall) as the sole

champion.

A Laguna Beach victory would have resulted in a three-way tie for

first with Northwood, CdM and Laguna.

“This was the most important win of the season,” Sea Kings Coach

Sam Bailey said. “In terms of maintaining ranking and being league

champions, this was the most important one.”

The Sea Kings will enter the CIF playoffs as the league’s No. 1

team.

As he has done all season, CdM senior captain Thomas Pearson led

the Sea Kings in Wednesday’s victory. He totaled half of CdM’s

points, hammering in four goals, the last with 1:58 remaining to put

the Sea Kings up, 8-6, and the game just out of reach for Laguna.

Throughout the season, Pearson has been the two-meter man, posting

down low in front of the goal and waiting for the pass to come so he

can fire it into the net. And all season long, he has been a physical

presence in that position, making opposing players crawl all over him

to stop him.

“I’m pretty sure he delivers it just as much as he takes it,”

Bailey said about Pearson. “Water polo is a lot like basketball, and

we put him in the center, post position.”

As Pearson was forced underwater by a Laguna player in the final

minutes, he reached around and flung the ball blind into the net for

the securing score.

The game-winning goal was scored by junior Kyle Hersh, who stole

the ball, sprinted down the pool and fired it past Laguna goalie Bret

Burge late in the third period.

Laguna Beach blew a prime chance to tie the game in the fourth

quarter, after CdM’s Gaston Sanford came out of the goal to try to

gain possession of the ball. The ball broke loose and Breakers’

Cedric Channels recovered it and shot at the wide-open goal from two

meters away, only to have it bounce off the top and back into CdM’s

possession.

And two minutes later, Pearson wrapped it up in a neat package,

giving the Sea Kings a two-point lead and the seniors a memorable

last league game.

“This is something that is very significant,” said senior Bryan

Buhagiar, who scored a goal in the third period to put the Sea Kings

up, 6-5. “As a senior, this is a good way to go out, especially

compared with last year.”

Last season, the Sea Kings finished second in league under the

reins of Mike Evans. This season under first-year coach Bailey, the

Sea Kings, who slid into the No. 2 spot in the CIF Southern Section

Division I rankings after defeating Foothill Saturday, have a

legitimate shot of going deep into the playoffs.

The team plans to stick with its signature style of play in the

postseason -- defense, defense, defense. Against Laguna, the team

showcased its defensive abilities, only allowing six goals, zero in

the final period, with goalkeeper Sanford blocking 13 shots.

“Our team compares with the Detroit Pistons,” Bailey said, “as in,

defense wins ballgames. It is the key to success. If [an opponent]

can’t score, they can’t win.”

*--*

Pacific Coast League

Corona del Mar 8, Laguna Beach 6

Score by Quarters

CdM 1 2 4 1 -- 8

Laguna Beach 2 2 2 0 -- 6

Corona del Mar -- Pearson 4, Hersh 2, Murphy 1,

Buhagiar 1. Saves -- Sanford 13. Laguna Beach --

Fair 3, Frimond 2, Channels 1. Saves -- Burge 8.

*--*