Back Bay rivals collide

Newport Harbor High Coach Jason Lynch says beating a team three times in a season is a tough task.

He now has to try to pull off the trifecta against a fierce rival in boys’ water polo.

The Sailors again have to get past Corona del Mar. This time it’s to return to their first CIF Southern Section Division I final since 2007.

The Sea Kings tonight are sure to have a say in which Back Bay school reaches the championship.

The No. 2-seeded Sailors (25-4) face the No. 3 Sea Kings (24-5) in a semifinal match at Irvine High at 7 p.m. The third match between these giants in the pool is sure to be just as close as the first two this year.

In an eight-day span last month, Newport Harbor defeated CdM, 10-9, in the Battle of the Bay, and then 7-5 in the semifinals of the Memorial Cup Invitational in San Jose.

Wherever the match has been, locally, in Orange County, or in Northern California, the Sea Kings have struggled beating the Sailors. Since Jason Lynch took over at Newport Harbor, the Sailors have only dropped two matches to CdM in nine years.

One of those losses came last year in the Battle of the Bay. That same year, Newport Harbor beat the Sea Kings four times.

The Sailors are hoping to make it seven of eight against the Sea Kings in two years.

How the match is officiated will affect tonight’s outcome. If officials allow players to play physical, this favors Newport’s stout defense.

With 6-foot-7, 230-pound Chase Watson being such a dominant force at two meters for the Sea Kings, CdM Coach Barry O’Dea has said in the past officials allow defenders covering Watson to get away with some things.

“We’ve got a two-meter guy that’s the biggest guy in the pool and I don’t know how people are going over him and taking position,” O’Dea said after the Battle of the Bay loss at Newport Harbor on Oct. 24, when he received a yellow card for arguing with officials. “You literally have to almost climb a ladder.

“The officials have a tough time calling him and I understand to a point. He’s a big kid.”

Watson is the equivalent of a Shaquille O’Neal during his heyday. The Sea Kings boast an outside threat to help the big man when defenses collapse on the junior with 65 goals on the year.

Max Bergeson is CdM’s Kobe Bryant. The senior can score at will, evident from his five goals, including the game-winner with four seconds left to beat Ventura, 15-14, in the quarterfinals.

With 87 goals, the left-hander is the most dangerous player in the pool. Bergeson has scored eight of CdM’s 14 goals against Newport Harbor this year.

The Sailors counter with a more balanced attack.

Seniors Blake Kelly and Zach Lucas, who have 77 and 50 goals, respectively, are two of four players with at least 40 goals for Newport Harbor. The other two are Farrel South and Jack Yeager, a left-handed threat.

Lynch is well aware of the revenge factor. Before the start of the playoffs, he planned to see the Sea Kings again. Here they are, making their first Division I semifinal appearance since 2005.

The Sailors defeated CdM, 13-12, in overtime to reach the title match that season. Newport Harbor has experienced this stage before and its poised for another title run.