The Bonita Vista High School boys water polo team has experienced its share of ups and downs during the 2015 season. The Barons reached a high point at midseason when they went 4-1 in the East County Invitational to start the season with a 13-4 record.
Then family vacations over fall break and injuries began to take their toll, which has since sent the team on a frustrating string of four consecutive setbacks, including Wednesday afternoon’s 10-8 overtime loss to Hilltop at the Parkway pool.
The overtime loss — the second for Bonita Vista in that string of four games — dropped the team to 2-5 in Mesa League play.
Overall, it was the Barons’ third overtime game in league play to continue a trend that has seen the team come up short in close game. Even the wins have been hard fought after Bonita Vista captured a 14-12 OT decision over defending league champion Mar Vista earlier in the month.
“There have been a lot of overtime games this year in the league,” a somewhat exasperated BVHS coach Betty Alexander noted following Wednesday’s game.
The Barons lost, 9-6, to Mater Dei Catholic last Friday after losing, 8-7, to Otay Ranch in overtime two days earlier.
Many Mesa League games have been too close to call as parity has reared its head among the five teams below league leader Eastlake.
The Titans improved to 6-0 in league, 12-7 overall, after defeating host Mar Vista, 13-3, last Friday and topping Bonita Vista, 13-5, in a game played Tuesday at the Southwestern College pool.
Eastlake continues to climb up the San Diego Section’s Division II power rankings, up from seventh last week to sixth this week.
The Division III power rankings look to become a jumble after teams have exchanged wins in recent weeks. The Barons entered the week No. 3 in the 22-team rankings but the recent losses to Otay Ranch and Mater Dei Catholic, plus Wednesday’s loss to Hilltop (also in the division), could jeopardize that.
As Bonita Vista has faltered, Hilltop’s stock has risen as the Lancers held off successive challenges from Otay Ranch, Mater Dei and the Barons to solidify their No. 2 spot in the division rankings.
Hilltop improved to 4-2 in league play, 11-4 overall, after edging Bonita Vista on Wednesday.
Lancer head coach Ernie Medina termed the first-round league battle against the Barons a “hard-fought physical game against a good team and a well-coached team.”
“They were prepared for us,” Medina noted. “We’ll see them again in league play and, who knows, maybe again in the CIF playoffs depending on the seeding. The same goes for Otay and Mater Dei.”
Bonita Vista scored the game’s opening goal on a shot by Diego Gomez to the far corner but Hilltop responded with four unanswered goals to build an early 4-1 lead as Ryan Sears, Anthony Torroll, Josh Fischer and Emilio Maldonado each scored goals.
Zach Courtney scored in the dying seconds of the opening quarter to make the score 4-2 but Hilltop’s Austin Kober scored the first of what would be two goals in the game just 15 seconds into the second quarter to give the hosts back their three-goal edge.
A spirited Bonita Vista rally tied the game, 5-5, at halftime as Courtney notched his second goal of the game, Gomez bombed in a shot from long range and Emiliano Castro tallied to deadlock the score.
The Barons retained their momentum with two goals to start the second half as Castro completed a natural hat trick with a pair of cross-cage shots to boost the visitors to a 7-5 lead.
The Lancers then reeled off three consecutive goals to take an 8-7 lead. Sears scored the final goal in the third period to draw Hilltop to within 7-6 on the scoreboard and Kober and Maldonado each scored goals to open the fourth quarter.
But Castro, assisted by Courtney, sent the game into overtime on a goal with just 29 seconds left in regulation play. The ball hit Lancer goalie Danny Godinez’s outstretched hands and deflected into the near back corner.
The goal was Castro’s fourth of the game.
BV goalie Diego Sanchez stopped Torroll on a point-blank shot with seven seconds to play in regulation and the game went into overtime.
Both teams had scoring chances but both goalies shut down the shots to keep the OT period low scoring.
Maldonado scored the only goal in the first three-minute overtime period and Torroll scored on a lob shot to the far corner in the second OT period as Hilltop emerged with a final two-goal victory.
The Barons did well to be in position to possibly win the game despite playing short-handed for significant stretches of the game. The Lancers finished with a commanding 11-2 edge in six-on-five power plays.
Courtney, who also drew defensive duty in the two-meter set position, fouled out with 1:52 left in first overtime period to further deplete the Barons’ roster.
Bonita Vista and Hilltop rematch in the final regular season game Nov. 6 at the Southwestern College pool. The Barons, who also have games remaining against Mar Vista and Mater Dei Catholic, hope to be looking down – rather than up — at their league rivals in the standings at that point.
Mesa League
Boys Water Polo Standings
(Through Oct. 28)
Eastlake Titans 7-0, 13-7
Hilltop Lancers 5-3, 12-6
Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders 5-3, 13-11
Otay Ranch Mustangs 3-4, 12-11
Bonita Vista Barons 3-5, 14-8
Mar Vista Mariners 0-8, 3-15
Wednesday, Oct. 28
Mater Dei Catholic 9, Hilltop 6
Bonita Vista 9, Mar Vista 8
Monday, Oct. 26
Mater Dei Catholic 12, Mar Vista 6
Friday, Oct. 23
Hilltop 10, Mar Vista 5
Mater Dei Catholic 10, Otay Ranch 3
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Eastlake 16, Mater Dei Catholic 9
Otay Ranch 7, Mar Vista 6
Hilltop 10, Bonita Vista 8 (OT)
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Eastlake 13, Bonita Vista 5
Monday, Oct. 19
Hiltop 8, Mater Dei Catholic 7
Friday, Oct. 16
Hilltop 7, Otay Ranch 4
Mater Dei Catholic 9, Bonita Vista 6
Eastlake 13, Mar Vista 3
