Boys’ water polo beats Chino Hills

The Laguna Beach water polo boys’ 14-and-under team opened its new

season Sunday with a 13-3 victory over visiting Chino Hills.

Laguna led from the start as Robert Chew scored three goals,

Spencer Dodson scored twice and Nolan McConnell had a goal in the

first period of play.

Goalie Peter Weidner, a newcomer to the team, got off to a strong

shot with a block of a four-meter attempt in the opening quarter.

Dodson, Chew, Cole Kennedy and Nicky Brunner scored in the second

frame, and the defense of Robbie Quellmalz, Zach Riegler, Derek Kott,

Tommy Renner and new players Brent Donenfeld, Trevor Bass and Casey

Connors held Chino Hills to a single first-half goal.

Dodson, Kennedy and Casey Connors scored in the third quarter, as

did Weidner, who came up with two second-half blocks at his goalie

position. He returned one of those blocks for a length-of-the-pool

shot which found the Chino Hills net, completing Laguna’s scoring.

In other water polo action:

12-and-Under Division

Laguna Beach 8, Chino Hills 5

Laguna broke open a tie match by scoring four goals in the third

period.

Deadlocked at 3-3 at the half, two goals by Spencer Dodson and one

each by Nolan McConnell, Riley Browne and Niki Brunner gave Laguna a

five-goal cushion, 8-3.

McConnell and Alex Shapero each scored in the first quarter to

give Laguna a 2-0 lead. After Chino Hills scored consecutive goals in

the second quarter to tie the match at 2-2, Laguna’s Caleb Scott

broke that tie with goal in the final 30 seconds of the half.

Chino Hills, however, slipped in a last-second goal to knot the

score at the break, 3-3.

The Laguna Beach City Team includes: Ryan Atherton, Riley Browne,

Niki Brunner, Nick Channels, Spencer Dodson, Hunter French, Erik

Henrikson, Kirk Knott, Nile Koegel, Nolan McConnell, Dylan Payne,

Sebastian Rogers, Caleb Scott and Alex Shapero. Also playing on

Sunday were 10-and-under players Trevor Collins and Jack Dodson.

Girls’ 14-and-Under Division

Laguna Beach 10, Chino Hills 3

Laguna Beach led from start to finish in polishing off Chino

Hills.

Lexy Ross and Yoshi Andersen each scored three goals to lead

Laguna.

In youth baseball action:

Rockets win tournament title

The Niguel Rockets, a boys’ 12-and-under club baseball team

coached by Kris Selfridge and Ron Paxson of Laguna Beach, as well as

by Al Maliboff, won the Fall Classic Tournament last weekend.

In the tournament final against the top-seeded team, the Fountain

Valley Gators, the Rockets overcame a 2-0 second quarter deficit to

post a trophy-clinching 5-2 victory.

Ace Austin Paxson came in for relief duty and shut down the Gators

for the remainder of the game as the Rockets’ offense scored the

game’s final five runs.

The Rockets had previously defeated the Gators, 4-1, behind the

pitching of Austin Allen, a win which moved them into the semifinal

round.

There, they held off the San Diego Lookout in extra innings, 5-4.

Shane Selfridge and Andrew Richards shared the mound for the Rockets.

Paxson was on his game as the Rockets opened tournament play with

an 9-1 victory over the North Anaheim Express. In their second game,

Andrew Jacks and Kyle Paris teamed on the mound to tame the Los

Alamitos Contenders, 11-1.