A solid start for CdM

LOS ANGELES — On the program sold at the S&R Sport USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics, the man listed as the Corona del Mar High coach is no longer with the girls’ team.

The new coach, Sam Bailey, is not around to guide the Sea Kings in the 18-and-under division either.

While Bailey is working with his organization, Eco Surf Volunteers, in Ecuador, former CdM star Christina Hewko is the interim coach. Her role will soon change.

Hewko said the coach Bailey replaced at CdM is going to return to lead the Sea Kings on at least one day during the four-day tournament in Los Angeles County. Hewko has her cousin Johnathon Hewko’s wedding on Balboa Island to attend Saturday.

Taking over the CdM program on the wedding day, Hewko said will be Aaron Chaney. The Sea Kings are looking forward to seeing their old coach, who led the program to five CIF Southern Section titles during his nine years at the helm.

“We’re really excited to see him again,” CdM goalie Alex Musselman said of Chaney, who left CdM to return to Hawaii and be closer to his mother. “Before [Bailey] left, he told us he was going to come back next week as a surprise.”

Without Chaney, the Sea Kings have stunned many with their stellar play in the summer. In July, they reached the final at both the Santa Barbara tournament and California State High School Championships.

CdM tried to continue the success on the opening day at the Junior Olympics at USC Thursday. The road to another finale started well in the morning, getting a 5-2 victory against Santa Barbara Water Polo Club B.

The Sea Kings used a balanced attack, with Devon Greenlee, Cassidy Papa, Pippa Saunders, Genevieve Weed and Lauren Marks each recording a goal. The defense, led by Musselman, slowed down the opposition.

That is not how it all played out for CdM in Game 2 in the afternoon.

The Sea Kings faced favorite SoCal Black, the team with recent and current Los Alamitos High players. Some of those same players helped Los Alamitos beat CdM, 6-5, to win the title at the California State High School Championships.

Hewko advised her players not to put a name to the faces of many of the star-studded players from SoCal Black.

While CdM is playing in the tournament with its future high school team, SoCal Black is an all-star team from Orange County. SoCal Black displayed its talents in the first quarter en route to an 11-5 victory.

Kaley Dodson helped SoCal jump out to a 4-0 lead. The recent Los Alamitos graduate bound for Stanford accounted for half of the goals in the opening quarter.

With four seconds left before time expired in the first, Papa found the back of the net for CdM. The Sea Kings managed to keep SoCal Black from blowing the game open before halftime.

CdM allowed only one goal in the second quarter, but it failed to score.

SoCal began the third quarter with two early goals before CdM’s Ally McCormick responded with the first of her three goals in the second half. McCormick’s first goal came after firing a shot from the perimeter that cut the Sea Kings’ deficit to 7-2 at the 1:04 mark.

In the next 31 seconds, SoCal Black put away back-to-back goals to distance itself from the Sea Kings.

Saunders closed out the third with a goal, and CdM inched closer after McCormick scored twice in the fourth quarter. CdM trimmed SoCal Black’s lead to 9-5 midway through the quarter.

The Sea Kings on the bench began cheering, “Ally! Ally!” SoCal silenced the Sea Kings by converting a power-play goal with 2:33 left to play.

Thirty seconds later, during a timeout, McCormick and the rest of the Sea Kings’ starters jumped out of the pool. They had another game to prepare for against Dirty Bay, which they beat, 8-5, in the evening. Papa scored four goals.

The day grew longer for Hewko, but she is enjoying the experience as the head coach. It will not last long.

Next week, the 2003 CdM graduate is leaving the Sea Kings. Hewko said she is going to Arizona State University, where for the next two years she plans to earn her master’s in education and teaching credential, and coach the women’s water polo program as a graduate assistant.

“I love coaching with Sam, but it is fun to also do your own thing,” said Hewko, who will definitely get to do what she wants Saturday thanks to Chaney, her former coach. “Chaney is coming for my cousin’s wedding. He’s letting me go to the ceremony and he’s just going to go to the [reception] afterward.”

The Newport Water Polo Foundation 18U girls went 2-1 in their first day. They defeated Clovis, 7-4, lost to Commerce, 7-5, at Commerce and beat Stockton, 16-1.

The Newport 14U girls won twice, beating Commerce B, 9-3 and American River Blue, 3-0.

The Newport 16U girls went 1-2, losing to Carlsbad, 6-5, beating Drivers Blue, 17-2, and losing to Los Angeles Water Polo Club Red, 10-4.

The Newport 12U girls lost twice, 15-8, to Foothill, and, 8-3, to Laguna.