Huntington Beach boys’ water polo outlasts Newport Harbor for outright Surf League crown
LOS ALAMITOS — Water polo players often have to multitask during a match.
Coaches aren’t exempt from that out of the pool, either.
With the boys’ water polo season winding down, Huntington Beach High coach Sasa Branisavljevic has welcomed a new addition to his family. Branisavljevic said his wife, Macy, gave birth to their second child on Oct. 22.
While he and the Oilers prepare for the inaugural CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs, Branisalvjevic now has a new daughter with a similar first name, Sasha.
“That’s how things played out,” he said with a smile. “It’s a blessing. It’s an awesome time.”
A CIF championship would make things even sweeter.
The Oilers felt that they staked their claim to the top seed in the Open Division on Wednesday night. They beat rival Newport Harbor 13-11 at Los Alamitos High, clinching the outright Surf League title.
Cal-bound senior Nikola Mirkovic scored a match-high four goals for the Oilers (21-2, 6-0 in league), including the go-ahead shot on a cross-cage lob with three seconds left in the third quarter.
Harvard-bound senior center James Rozolis-Hill and junior Tas Palcza each scored three goals for the Oilers. Sophomore Ryder Dodd scored twice, and senior goalkeeper Gabriel Haddad made seven saves.
Senior Matthew Morgan also scored for the winners, while junior left-hander Zach Bettino chipped in three steals and a field block.
Huntington Beach (21-2, 6-0 in league) entered the week tied for the top spot in the Division 1 poll with Trinity League champion Mater Dei (23-2). The Oilers edged the Monarchs 10-9 in the Santa Barbara Tournament on Sept. 10, the teams’ only meeting of the regular season.
The playoff pairings will be released on Saturday morning.
“I think we’re first,” Branisavljevic said. “Every single game is going to be brutal, grueling and tough, and we’re ready for it. We’re excited … There’s no calculation on our side. If we claim to be the No. 1 team, then we are welcoming the challenges from wherever they come.”
Newport Harbor (21-5, 3-2 in league), ranked No. 3 in Division 1, was coming off winning the Memorial Cup tournament in the Bay Area last weekend. Finn Genc, a junior, led the Sailors with three goals Wednesday night, while Peter Castillo, Gage Verdegaal and Ben Liechty scored two goals each.
Goalkeeper Cooper Mathisrud made eight saves for the Sailors, including one on a penalty shot.
Neither team had a lead of more than two goals in the entire match. But Mirkovic broke an 11-11 tie with his lob shot in transition with three seconds left in the third quarter.
Rozolis-Hill then scored the only fourth-quarter goal for either team, taking a pass from Palcza and striking from set with 3:58 remaining in the match.
“Winning the Sunset [Surf] League is definitely a goal of ours,” Rozolis-Hill said. “But at the end of the day, CIF is what we want. It’s never been done at Huntington, and it’s been a while since a public school has won, so that’s our main goal. But it definitely feels good to win league.”
A public school has not won the top division since El Toro claimed the Division 1 crown in 2009.
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