Breakers ready for South Coast water polo tourney
The Laguna Beach High boys’ water polo team started its season two weeks ago in tournament play in Santa Barbara, and now the Breakers are involved in another top tournament featuring several highly regarded teams.
The Breakers are competing at the South Coast Tournament, a 32-team event that started Thursday and continues Friday and Saturday, ending with the championship game Saturday afternoon. Games are being played at four school sites: Newport Harbor, Foothill, Santa Margarita, and Corona del Mar.
Laguna, ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division 3, is the No. 5 seed in the Newport Harbor bracket. The bracket also includes top-seeded Mater Dei (No. 2, CIF-SS Division 1), Newport Harbor (No. 7, Division 1), Long Beach Wilson (No. 10, Division 1), Villa Park (No. 10, Division 2), Northwood, Esperanza, and Bakersfield Garces Memorial.
The other top seeds in the tournament are Foothill (Foothill bracket, No. 1, CIF-SS Division 2), Los Angeles Loyola (Santa Margarita bracket, No. 3, Division 1), and Huntington Beach (Corona del Mar bracket, No. 4, Division 1).
“The South Coast Tournament is one of the premiere high school tournaments,” Laguna Coach Ethan Damato said. “We are anticipating five tough games and hoping to use this tournament to continue to keep building as a team.”
Laguna played its home opener Sept. 17 and was edged, 11-10 by El Toro, the fifth-ranked team in CIF-SS Division 2. Jakob Colladay and Jeff Rubino both scored three goals and Will Clark scored twice for the Breakers.
“I was really proud of the effort our guys put forth and the energy we played with,” Damato said. “We had a very good team on the ropes all game and had our chances to win the game before they took a late, fourth-quarter lead. We showed big improvements and put together two, three, really good quarters. We know we need four good quarters if we want to win those games.
“We’re excited to get better and we are working hard.”
Next week, the Breakers start their Orange Coast League title defense with a 3:15 p.m. home game Wednesday against Costa Mesa, ranked No. 10 this week in Division 3. On Thursday, they travel to Santiago Canyon College in Orange to face Orange Lutheran, the sixth-ranked team in Division 1.
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Girls’ Volleyball
The Breakers were in Las Vegas last weekend for the Durango Fall Classic. They went 3-4 overall and finished second in the Contender Division, and in 42nd place, overall.
Harvard-Westlake defeated the Breakers, 25-22, 25-20, in the Contender Division final Saturday.
The Breakers hosted Dana Hills in a nonleague match Thursday. The score wasn’t available at press time.
Laguna travels Tuesday to face Newport Harbor in a 5:15 p.m. nonleague match, and the Orange Coast League’s defending champion starts its league season at home Thursday (5:30 p.m.) against Costa Mesa.
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Girls’ Tennis
The defending Orange Coast League champion Breakers cruised in their league opener Tuesday and scored a 16-2 victory over visiting Costa Mesa at Alta Laguna Park.
The Breakers subbed in players at each line of singles and doubles action. In singles, No. 1 Kelly Keller (6-0, 6-0), No. 2 Ashley Shelton (6-0, 6-0), and No. 3 Kathleen Kimball (6-1, 6-0) each won two sets. Jessalyn Chaney won her set (6-0) to complete a sweep at the No. 2 line. In doubles, Natasha Keces/Ashley Fair won 6-0 before Fair teamed with Summer Clawson, who subbed for Keces, won the final two sets (6-0, 6-0). At No. 2, Malia Helms/Iman Berri won two sets, 6-0, 6-0, and Nicole Davidson/Taylor Corrigan completed the line sweep with a 6-0 win. At No. 3, Joie Selin/Brigette Thomas won their set (6-4) before Chloe Stuart/Lina Gleizer won their two sets (6-0, 6-0).
In a nonleague match Monday against visiting Aliso Niguel, the Breakers won by sweep, 18-0.
Laguna played its second OCL match Thursday against Godinez. The score wasn’t available at press time.
The Breakers play host to Aliso Niguel at 3 p.m. Monday at Alta Laguna Park, then play back-to-back OCL matches against Calvary Chapel Tuesday at the Costa Mesa Tennis Club, and against Estancia Thursday at Alta Laguna Park. Both matches start at 3 p.m.
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Girls’ Golf
The Breakers won their third consecutive match and began defense of their Orange Coast League title by defeating Costa Mesa, 236-281, in four-way league play Wednesday at Mesa Linda Golf Course (par 33) in Costa Mesa.
Laguna’s BellaRose Robinson took medalist honors with a score of 38, and teammate Murphy Thompson turned in a key score of 39. Also scoring for the Breakers were Hannah Burnett (50), Hailey McCullough (51), Claire Gershenson (58), and Brooke Bunn (59).
Team scores from the cluster meet were: Laguna (236), Estancia (238), Calvary Chapel (256), Costa Mesa (281).
In their final nonleague match of the season, the Breakers scored a 226-258 victory over Sage Hill Tuesday at Ben Brown’s Golf Course (par 32). Thompson was Laguna’s low scorer, shooting 37.
The Breakers, 3-4 overall, are back in league four-way action next week with 3 p.m. matches at Mile Square Park Golf Course in Fountain Valley on Monday, at Mesa Linda Golf Course in Costa Mesa Wednesday, and host a four-way Thursday at Ben Brown’s Golf Course.
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Cross-Country
The Breakers were in Hawaii last weekend for the Iolani Invitational. The boys’ team finished fifth and the girls’ team in fourth.
Laguna boys’ results: Drake Butler (16:57.9, 13th place, Varsity Race); Luke LaMontagne (17:35.3); Will Kramer (17:39, fifth, Open Race); Tim Andrews (17:48.8); Massimo Lucidi (18:01.5); Penn Nielson (18:22.1); Dylan Miller (18:33.8); Jaden Orr (18:40.5); Mason Pitz (18:57.3).
“The boys competed well against top-tier teams,” boys’ Coach Scott Wittkop said. “It was a great, early-season test that will help us down the line.”
Laguna girls’ results: Pearl Shoemaker (20:13); Grace LaMontagne (20:32); Taylor Alvarez (20:50); Lauryn Alvarez (20:30); Bella Fonk (20:52); Molly Cohn (20:55); Sabrina Flagstad (21:32); Ana Kelly (21:41); Caleigh Cherrie (23:08); Ellie Glade (23:29); Hannah Vogel (24:59).
“I thought the girls competed well,” girls’ Coach Steve Lalim said. “We had goals specific for the race that we accomplished. It was a good race to see where we stand. It was an awesome trip.”
The Breakers will run in the Orange Coast League Cluster Wednesday at Irvine Regional Park.
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Surfing
Paced by a strong showing from its freshman class, the Breakers went up against Capistrano Valley Wednesday in nonleague action and defeated the Cougars at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point.
Laguna results were as follows: Boys’ Longboard (Jameson Roller, first place); Girls’ Shortboard (Kayla Coscino, first; Destiny Thompson, second; Claire Kelly, third); Girls’ Longboard (Megan Mathews, second; Lola Fisher, third); Boys’ Bodyboard Heat (Cole Fink, second); Boys’ Shortboard (Travis Booth, first; Jake Levine, second); Boys’ Bodyboard Heat (Trey Lockhart, first; Jeremy Shutts, second; Noah North, third); Boys’ Bodyboard Heat (Dante Madrigal, first; Zach Levine, second); Boys’ Bodyboard Heat (Liam McCue, first; Nate Madigan, second; Jett North, third).
The Breakers previously surfed Salt Creek Beach Sept. 18 against Aliso Niguel in nonleague action. Getting heat wins in Boys’ Shortboard for the Breakers were brothers Zach and Jake Levine, Dante Madrigal, and McCue. Kelly won her heat in the Girls’ Shortboard event.
The Breakers will surf their first league event Wednesday when they take on San Clemente at T-Street in San Clemente.
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Girls’ Water Polo
When the Laguna Beach girls’ water polo team opens its season in November, Coach Ethan Damato and the Breakers will do so without a key player.
Aria Fischer has withdrawn from Laguna Beach High and will miss her junior year at the school to train full-time with the USA Water Polo Senior National Team. Fischer, a two-time All-CIF Southern Section player, will conduct her junior year school studies online and return to Laguna Beach High for her senior year (2016-17).
“I’m really excited for Aria and support her 100% as she chases this dream,” Damato said.
Damato last year served as head coach of the USA Water Polo Cadet Team, and said in the coming year he will return to the Youth Team where he served as an assistant coach the last three years.
“Obviously, we will miss her in many ways both in and out of the water,” he said. “We have a strong group of girls that will rally around each other for this season and support Aria in her journey.”
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CIF Weekly Rankings
Boys’ Water Polo: No. 1, Division 3
Girls’ Volleyball: No. 5, Division 2AA
Girls’ Tennis: No. 3, Division 2
Cross-Country: Girls No. 5, Division 4; Boys No. 10, Division 4