Huntington Beach boys’ water polo beats CdM to clinch second place in Surf League

The Huntington Beach High boys’ water polo team has had its ups and downs this season.

The key for the Oilers in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs will be putting three good matches in a row together.

“If we show up, we’re a tough team to beat,” Huntington Beach coach Sasa Branisavljevic said. “No doubt.”

Huntington Beach clinched an automatic spot in the postseason Wednesday night. Senior Cooper Haddad and junior Chase Dodd each scored four goals as the Oilers won 11-9 at Corona del Mar in a Surf League finale, earning outright second place in the difficult four-team league.

CdM finished alone in third place and will apply for an at-large berth into the Division 2 playoffs.

Huntington Beach (17-8, 4-2 in league) has bounced back after finishing fourth in the league last year and failing to qualify for the postseason. The Oilers never trailed Wednesday and responded as the Sea Kings (18-10, 2-4) cut the lead to a single goal three different times in the fourth quarter.

“It was a good win tonight,” Haddad said. “I think we do still have a lot to work on. That fourth quarter, we let Tanner Pulice kind of pop off. He scored some goals when we had a commanding lead, and brought them back in. I think we need to work on not feeling comfortable and just fighting until the very end. It’s a grind the whole game, and we kind of let it go. We definitely have more to work on, and I think we’re excited for the CIF run.”

Pulice, who scored a match-high five goals, scored from seven meters out early in the fourth quarter. But the Oilers, ranked No. 6 in CIF Southern Section Division 1 and 2, responded as Dodd found junior left-hander Ethan Crooks for a goal that pushed the lead to 9-7.

Pulice added a goal from six meters for No. 14-ranked CdM, but then it was Crooks finding Dodd on an inside drive to push the visitors’ lead to 10-8 with 3:57 remaining. CdM then earned a power play, and Aden Mina assisted Tyler Harvey’s goal that again cut the lead to one with 1:53 left.

Haddad had the answer, turning his defender and scoring on the next possession for the match’s final goal.

“We were coming down for our play, and they know the play,” Haddad said. “They studied the film, and they decided to play high. Quick thinking, I changed it up and came back out. I waited for [the defender] to bite on my fake, [made a] back-door turn, then one more fake to bite the goalie near-side and place it cross-cage.”

James Rozolis-Hill added two goals for the Oilers, who got 11 saves and two steals from senior goalkeeper Jacob Pyle.

Dylan Hamm scored two goals for the Sea Kings, while Haig Mavusi added a goal. Senior goalkeeper Harrison Smith made three saves.

CdM coach Kareem Captan lamented his team’s slow start, as the Sea Kings fell behind 4-1 after the first quarter and 6-2 at halftime.

“It goes back to the idea of putting a complete game together,” Captan said. “Unfortunately, in the first quarter we didn’t come out the way we needed to, and we put ourselves into a hole. If we want to make something really special happen in November with the playoffs, we have to come out a lot stronger for four quarters. Three good quarters against Huntington, three good quarters against Newport, [but] we have to put that together for four quarters. I think the guys know that if we can put four quarters together, then any game is ours.”

Both teams now await the release of the CIF playoff brackets on Saturday at 10 a.m.

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