Newport victorious

Rick Devereux

Before the season-opening meet between visiting Corona del Mar High

and host Newport Harbor, Sailor Coach Jason Lynch said his team had

one goal for the day.

“I want a victory,” he said.

Despite a grueling training session the week before and

weight-lifting sessions earlier in the day, Newport Harbor came away

with the 98-72 nonleague win Tuesday.

“I know some of our guys are a little beat up, but we need to show

what we’re made of,” Lynch said.

What the Sailors are made of, evidently, is fast swimmers.

Newport Harbor swimmers finished one-two-three in three of the 11

events, including sweeps in the 200-yard freestyle, 100 free and 500 free.

Junior Clay Jorth took first in the 200 (1:52.84) and 500 (5:01.15) free events while Kyle Sherman was the man to beat in the

100 (50.15).

“We’ve got a good core of juniors on this team,” Lynch said. “I am

expecting them to help lead the way.”

Jorth was also a member of the winning 200 free relay team, who’s

time of 1:35.47 was under CIF Southern Section Division I

consideration.

“I think we’re still trying to see where we’re at physically,”

senior Michael Robinson said. “We’ve been training real hard, and I

think this is a good opening meet for us.”

It was also the opening meet for CdM Coach Matt Flesher. The

assistant boys water polo coach admitted to being rusty, but was

pleased by the effort his team exuded.

“We swam some guys in events that were clearly not their best

strokes,” Flesher said. “Throughout the course of the year, I want

everyone to swim as many events as possible.”

One standout for the Sea Kings was freshman Yutaro Yamashita, who

took first in the 100 butterfly (57.45) and was a member of the

winning 200 medley and 400 free relays.