Stimac’s energy infectious for Sea Kings

Kate Stimac was tied early on with Beckman’s Megan Heneghan on Tuesday , and she felt good.

So good, that the Corona del Mar High senior girls’ tennis player let Coach Brian Ricker know about it.

Immediately.

“I’m walking by, and she says, ‘Brian, guess what the score is? It’s 1-1,’ ” Ricker recalled.

Stimac went on to lose to the Beckman sophomore, who is ranked No. 23 in Southern California in the girls’ 16 singles rankings. But it is Stimac’s kind of enthusiastic approach that helps the Sea Kings, ranked No. 3 in the CIF Southern Section Division I coaches’ poll.

“She’s very much a team leader in spirit and communication,” Ricker said. “She brings a nice little flair to the team.”

Stimac, who has a 4.2 GPA, is a three-sport athlete as she also plays water polo and swims for CdM. She is a non-tournament player in tennis, but has an effective game. Stimac was the Pacific Coast League junior varsity singles champion last year.

“She has good hands, a good feel for the ball,” Ricker said. “She wins when she should, and against the top players she gets games.”

Stimac is also usually the one cheering the loudest for her teammates when she’s not in the matches. It’s that kind of spirit that has helped the Sea Kings become closer as a team this season.

Ricker added that when she is the one being cheered for, Stimac usually walks off the court after the match and thanks her supporters.

“I don’t think that’s something you can teach,” Ricker said. “Every coach who gets those kids should feel lucky to have them.”

Costa Mesa High School and Sage Hill School played another epic Orange Coast League water polo game Wednesday at Costa Mesa.

The Lightning won, 9-8, in the second sudden-death overtime period to all but clinch a CIF Southern Section Division II playoff spot.

But, while Sage Hill has won all four of the league games the teams have played in the past two seasons, all have been close. The games were decided by a total of five goals.

Seniors from both teams said they would miss the rivalry.

Sage’s Jimmy Miller and Costa Mesa’s Skyler Twohig, who each scored four goals in the most recent encounter, said the games have always been a lot of fun.

“It’s always fun playing against these guys,” Twohig said. “It’s two great teams just battling...I’ll miss these games like this. I hope to come back next year and watch another good game, too.”

On the Lightning side, Miller echoed many of the same sentiments.

“Both teams just kept fighting,” he said. “Both teams just wanted it so much...It’s just amazing to have that sort of rivalry. I’m sad we’re not going to play them anymore. It’s good high school water polo, for sure.”

Good progress for Sage Hill, too. The Lightning have had a varsity water polo program since 2001, but were a freelance school in Division VI until joining the Orange Coast League — and Division II — last season.

“Four or five years ago, [former UCI player and Sage Hill Coach] Genai Kerr had to come from classroom to classroom, asking people if they could swim,” Miller said. “Then it was, ‘Hey, do you want to get out of class early to come play a water polo game?’ That was the year before my freshman year. We’ve just come so far from that point to being able to have a legitimate team and participate in a Division II league, with teams [like Costa Mesa] that have that sort of history.”

The Mustangs have won four CIF Southern Section water polo titles, including in Division 2-A in 1986 and 1987, and Division III in 1992 and 1995.

Current Newport Harbor Coach Jason Lynch coached the 1992 team.

Mustangs Coach Justin Taylor, a member of the 1995 team, said to get back to that level, he hopes the Mustangs can re-establish a feeder club program.

Only one Costa Mesa player this year, senior Sam Edman, played club water polo.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.