Sailors capture league

Jorth nets three goals, including game-winner, as Newport Harbor finally sinks Foothill in Sea View League title showdown.NEWPORT BEACH -- The last two years, Foothill High’s boys’ water polo team edged Newport Harbor by one goal to capture the Sea View League championship.

Friday, the Sailors turned the tables, capturing their first league title in three years with a 6-5 overtime win at Newport Harbor High.

Newport Harbor dropped to No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Division I rankings after losing games to Foothill and Harvard-Westlake in the TruWest Memorial Cup Invitational last weekend while playing without injured star defender Clinton Jorth, who is done for the season with multiple facial fractures.

Sailors Coach Jason Lynch said he expects the team to move up to No. 3 in Division I for the playoffs, which would mean the Sailors wouldn’t face No. 1 Long Beach Wilson until the finals -- if both teams make it that far.

“Hopefully we’ll get to that game,” Lynch said. “They are the defending champs. That’s the team you have to get through.”

The Sailors (22-5 overall, 5-0 in league) used a stifling defense and stellar counterattack to nearly win the game in regulation time. Carson Hill’s goal gave Newport Harbor a 5-3 lead with 1:30 left in the third period.

From that point, the teams went 7:32 without scoring a goal. Then Foothill’s Derek Lozano lobbed a pass into two meters, and Hill, battling for position, inadvertently batted the ball into his own goal with 58 seconds left in regulation.

The Knights (19-7, 4-1) had just one more shot on goal, and Garrett Hayes’ 15-yard blast went in off the fingertips of Newport goalkeeper Bryce McClain with three seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.

With the teams still tied, 5-5, in the second overtime, Blake Hockenbury won the sprint and Newport Harbor took possession. The Sailors worked the ball around to Clay Jorth up top. Jorth fired a shot that appeared to bank off a defender’s arm into the net to give the Sailors a 6-5 lead.

“One cheap goal deserves another,” Jorth said, referring to Hill’s own goal in the fourth period. “It looked like there was an open spot, it hit off somebody and floated in.”

Jorth had a team-high three goals for Newport, Brett Auer tallied two and Hill added one.

But it was Newport’s defense that sparked the victory. Foothill was just 2 for 13 on the power play.

“We’ve been working hard on defending six-on-fives in practice the last couple of weeks,” Jorth said.

The Knights didn’t have many open looks throughout the game.

“It was all about defense,” Lynch said. “It was a huge defensive battle.”

Foothill star J.W. Krumpholz -- often blanketed by Jorth at two meters -- was credited with three goals -- one of which was actually knocked in by Hill. Kyle Sherman and Hill also played stellar two-meter defense on Krumpholz before fouling out.

Krumpholz fouled out in the second overtime period.

McClain, who had 13 saves, including three from point-blank in the third quarter, stole a pass near the goal intended for Foothill’s Nick Pickell with time running out to ice the game.

“That’s a huge momentum-builder for the playoffs for us,” Lynch said.

“It feels awesome,” Jorth said. “It’s great to win league. It sets us up for a good seeding in the playoffs.”

Sea View League

Newport Harbor 6, Foothill 5

Score by Quarters