Grayeli heeds call to restore water polo tradition at Costa Mesa

Robert Grayeli wasn’t satisfied just relishing the proud tradition of Costa Mesa High boys’ water polo he helped create. So the former CIF Southern Section Division II Co-Player of the Year, who helped the Mustangs win the latest of their four section titles in 1995, will now set about reestablishing that tradition of success.

Grayeli has been hired to replace Tim Postiff, the school’s boys’ athletic director, who stepped down in December after two seasons as coach.

Postiff had a 36-17 record, including a Golden West League title in 2004. The Mustangs earned their first CIF playoff victory in seven seasons in his first season, and also made the playoffs last fall.

“You don’t know how fired up I am,” said Grayeli, who played collegiately at Golden West College and Pepperdine, before playing one season in an Australian professional league.

He was on two state championship teams at Golden West, including a 36-0 squad on which he was named Co-Most Valuable Player as a sophomore.

He was captain of the 2000 team at Pepperdine.

“The Costa Mesa program has great history and great alumni,” Grayeli said. “Myself and some other former players have been a little disappointed with the way the program has gone down. I wanted to be involved, because I have a vested interest. I want to make it an elite program again, just like it was.”

Costa Mesa won its first CIF championship in 1986. Over the next 11 seasons, it added three CIF titles (1987, ’92 and ‘95) and had three more runner-up finishes (1990, ’93 and ‘97).

“Ten years ago, that program gave me my life,” said Grayeli, 28, a mortgage broker who lives in Costa Mesa and will be a walk-on coach. “It gave me the chance to not only play a sport that I loved, but to get a college degree. I want kids who enter the program to realize what a great opportunity it can be. I want to build that atmosphere at Mesa.”

This is the first high school head coaching position for Grayeli, who assisted former Mustangs Coach Jason Lynch with the Newport Harbor High boys’ team in 2002.

Since reuniting with Lynch at Newport Harbor, Grayeli has headed the junior age-group program at Newport Harbor.

“The first thing I want to do is start an age-group program at Costa Mesa,” Grayeli said.

He has enlisted donations from several former Costa Mesa players and the program could benefit from the completion of a new pool, perhaps as soon as the summer of 2007.

“We can with without a pool, because we’ve done it,” said Grayeli, referring the current pool that is not deep enough to play host to CIF playoff games.

“But if I get that pool, watch out. Watch out, Newport and Corona del Mar, because we are going to try to join the elite.”

Costa Mesa loses Golden West League MVP Kyle Thorsness, who led Orange County with 157 goals as a senior last fall. But junior goalie Scott Neslage, junior John Roche and sophomore Sam Edman all earned first-team all-league recognition in 2005. They could form a talented nucleus.

Costa Mesa also shifts from the Golden West League to the Orange Coast League. The newly created league, which begins competition next fall, includes Golden West League holdover Estancia, former Pacific Coast League members Laguna Beach and Santa Ana Calvary Chapel, and new program Godinez.