The Mesa League boys water polo standings are starting to take shape in the early stages of league play.
All six teams in the league have each played three games.
Mar Vista has the early lead with a 3-0 record, followed by Eastlake and Mater Dei Catholic at 2-1, Bonita Vista and Hilltop at 1-2 and San Ysidro both at 0-3.
Mar Vista remained undefeated on the season, evening its overall record at 8-8, by defeating Hilltop, 12-4, in a game Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the Parkway pool. The game was close early, with the visiting Mariners holding a 2-0 edge.
However, Mar Vista had managed to widen the gap to 8-0 by halftime and liberally substituted in the third quarter while moving ahead 9-3 on the scoreboard.
The top three scorers for the Mesa League leaders were all sophomores. Ethan Hastings led all players in the pool with five goals while Fletcher Field matched him with five points on three goals and two assists. Carlos Ibarra had three points on two goals and one assist. Freshman Trevor Rector also collected two goals and one assist in the game.
Nic Garces led Hilltop (7-6 overall) with two goals. Adrian Garces and Raul Rico both scored one goal for the Lancers.
Mar Vista has a young team, with nine players either freshmen or sophomores. However, youth has continued to lead the Mariners, with the team’s top seven scorers including six sophomores and one freshman.
Hastings leads the team with 67 goals and 82 points, followed by Field with 23 goals and 39 points, Ibarra with 29 goals and 39 points, sophomore Luke Wilson with 10 goals and 25 points, sophomore T.C. Spaulding with three goals and 18 points, sophomore Kevin Stucki with seven goals and 16 points and Rector with seven goals and 15 points.
Hastings leads the team with 37 steals, followed by Field with 25 steals.
Senior Levi Lord is averaging 11.5 goalie saves per game.
The future looks nothing but bright for this young but talented squad.
“I think this year we’ll be around the middle of the Division I rankings after taking out the Open Division teams this year,” MVHS head coach Chad Kavanah said. “But a goal for future years would be to move up and try to finish near the top.”
Could a CIF championship be in the making for this group? The next two to three seasons could be extremely exciting to chart.
Teen Titans
Eastlake improved to 2-1 in Mesa League play after sinking San Ysidro and Bonita Vista in its latest two games at the Southwestern College pool. The Titans topped San Ysidro, 21-1, last Friday (Oct. 4) and defeated Bonita Vista, 16-5, on Wednesday (Oct. 9).
“Right now we’re focusing on half-court tactics and taking each game at a time,” EHS coach Stuart Sokil said. “We’d like to climb the ladder to be in the top 12 to ensure we get into the playoffs.”
Eastlake scored the first four goals in Wednesday’s game and stretched its lead to 12-1 early in the third quarter.
Eli Stewart led the Titans with five goals while Ezekiel Craig had four goals. Will Gammon had three goals while James Derrod collected seven goalie saves, four assists and two steals. Zane Derrod led the team with five steals.
Josiah Schenk contributed two goals while Diego Scheitt and Chris Lopez both scored one goal to round out the Eastlake scoring against the Barons. Gammon also had three assists.
The Titans built a 16-0 lead in last Friday’s game.
Stewart, Gammon and Scheitt each scored three goals while Craig, Zach Shields and brothers James and Zane Derrod were both credited with scoring two goals.
Eastlake used three goalies in the game. James Derrod, who set the section record for career saves earlier this season, played the first half, while Diego Scheitt took over in the second half and was later spelled by his younger brother Gio Scheitt.
Wesley Haslett led Bonita Vista with three goals in Wednesday’s loss while Felix Ikeda and Archie Orozco both scored one goal
Angel Zepeda scored San Ysidro’s lone goal in last Friday’s game.
Bonita Vista recorded its first league win Oct. 2 against San Ysidro as Zion Murillo and Sami Metta both scored three goals and Kristian Gutierrez, Orozco, Isaiah Ceballos and Caleb Hutchins each scored two goals.
Zepeda led the Cougars with five goals.
Both Eastlake and Mar Vista are in action on Friday, Oct. 11. Mar Vista plays San Ysidro in a game scheduled at 7 p.m. at Loma Verde pool while Eastlake hosts Bonita Vista in a game scheduled at 7:45 p.m. at Southwestern College.
Eastlake will play at Mater Dei Catholic is a key game on Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. and host Mar Vista to start the second round of league play on Oct. 22 at 7:45 p.m. at the SWC pool.
The Titans and Barons rematch Oct. 25 at 7:45 p.m. at SWC.
By the numbers
James Derrod has extended his section record to 1,111 save following Wednesday’s victory against Bonita Vista. He’s appeared in 13 games this season with 118 saves, 15 assists and 54 steals.
Derrod is now chasing the Southern Section CIF record of 1,203 saves by Joseph Moorman of MLK (2009-12).
Derrod currently ranks fifth in the section record book with 268 career steals and has a shot of legitimate shot at breaking this record as well, needing 42 steals over the remainder of the season to overtake the current record-holder Tyler Kandel of Bishop’s, who logged 309 steals from 1999-2002.
Derrod recorded 42 saves, seven assists and 21 steals during the Titans’ five games at the recent America’s Finest City tournament (Sept. 20-21).
Derrod broke the existing section record for career saves of 1,049 held by Monte Vista’s Gavin Glauser from 1995-98 in a Sept. 17 game at Grossmont High School, a 12-10 loss for the Titans.
“It’s super exciting — it’s something I have looked forward to for a long time,” Derrod said. “I’m excited that it could stand in the record book for a long time.”
Derrod’s most critical saves are still ahead as Eastlake battles for a share of the Mesa League championship and a berth in the section’s Division II playoffs.
Mesa League Standings
(Through Oct. 16)
Mar Vista 5-0, 10-8
Eastlake 4-1, 7-9
Mater Dei Catholic 3-2, 12-10
Hilltop 2-3, 8-7
Bonita Vista 2-4, 8-9
San Ysidro 0-6, 3-10
Mesa League Scoreboard
Sept. 13: Mar Vista 11, Eastlake 8
Sept. 18: Hilltop 13, Bonita Vista 11
Sept. 20: Mar Vista 12, Mater Dei Catholic 8
Oct. 2: Mater Dei Catholic 8, Hilltop 6
Oct. 2: Bonita Vista 18, San Ysidro 6
Oct. 4: Eastlake 21, San Ysidro 1
Oct. 9: Mar Vista 12, Hilltop 4
Oct. 9: Mater Dei Catholic 15, San Ysidro 4
Oct. 9: Eastlake 16, Bonita Vista 5
Oct. 11: Mar Vista 21, San Ysidro 3
Oct. 11: Eastlake 16, Hilltop 3
Oct. 14: Mater Dei Catholic 11, Bonita Vista 9
Oct. 15: Bonita Vista 12, San Ysidro 7
Oct. 16: Eastlake 12, Mater Dei Catholic 6
Oct. 16: Mar Vista 17, Bonita Vista 14
Oct. 16: Hilltop 19, San Ysidro 3
East County Invitational
Santana 13, Hilltop 8
Mira Mesa 14, Hilltop 12
Santa Fe Christian 8, Hilltop 6
Hilltop 16, Otay Ranch 3
Hilltop 19, Serra 9
West Hills 10, Bonita Vista 5
Bonita Vista 15, Otay Ranch 4
La Jolla Country Day 15, Bonita Vista 4
La Jolla 14, Otay Ranch 2
West Hills 15, Otay Ranch 6
Otay Ranch 13, Monte Vista 11
Tournament Scoreboard
Poway 11, Mar Vista 7
Canyon Crest Academy 15, Mar Vista 10
San Pasqual 23, Mar Vista 8
America’s Finest City Invitational
Eastlake 20, Serra (San Mateo) 2
Mira Costa 17, Eastlake 4
Eastlake 7, Point Loma 6
Westview 15, Eastlake 7
King (Riverside) 13, Eastlake 9
Mater Dei Catholic15, San Yisdro 4
Mater Dei Catholic scoring: David Brown 6 goals, 3 asst, 2 steals; David Dare 2 goals, 2 asst, 5 steals; Caleb Robinson 2 goals, 1 asst, 2 steals; Aiden Alpenia 1 goal; Kyler Mamou 1 goal, 2 asst, 1 steal; Derek Castillo 1 goal, 1 asst, 1 steal; Shoichi McCarter 1 goal, 1 steal; Jackson Spooner 1 goal. Armando Gonzalez 4 saves, 1 assist, 1 steal; Chris Sulier 5 saves
Mater Dei Catholic 11 Bonita Vista 9
Mater Dei Catholic scoring: David Dare 7 goals, 1 steal; David Brown 3 goals, 3 assists, 4 steals; Patrick Turner 1 goal, 1 assist. Armando Gonzalez 10 saves
Eastlake 12, Mater Dei Catholic 6
Mater Dei Catholic scoring: David Brown 4 goals, 1 assist, 6 steals; David Dare 2 goals, 2 steals. Armando Gonzalez 5 saves, 3 steals
Photo Gallery by Phillip Brents
Mar Vista 12, Hilltop 4
Eastlake 16, Bonita Vista 5
