The Bonita Vista High School boys water polo team defeated Otay Ranch, 13-7, in a non-league game Wednesday at the Southwestern College pool.
It was the first regular season game for both teams.
The match-up was initially delayed by rain and lightning as a late summer storm moved through the area. The game started 30 minutes late, with high temperatures and high humidity levels making it uncomfortable for those not in the water.
The action in the water was just as sizzling, especially for the host team.
Bonita Vista scored the opening eight goals of the match, taking a 4-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of goals by Felix Ikeda and single scores by Isaiah Cebellos and Archie Orozco.
Adam DePratti increased the Barons lead to 5-0 by scoring the opening goal of the second quarter and Antonio Marquez tucked in a buzzer-beater to give Bonita Vista a 6-0 halftime lead.
Orozco and Felix notched the opening goals of the third period for the Barons before the defending South Bay League champion Mustangs could score their first goal of the game.
Bonita Vista led 9-3 entering the fourth quarter.
Top scorers for the Barons included Felix with four goals, Orozco with three goals and Sami Metta with two goals. Angelo Roman buttressed the team’s defense with six blocks and one steal.
Bonita Vista head coach Betty Alexander noted there were pluses and minuses in her team’s season opening victory.
“It was disappointing that they (the Mustangs) were able to come back and catch up as much as they did,” she said. “We did make some substitutions as the game went on. If I had kept on playing our original six I don’t think they would have caught up as much as they did. I think we need to work on our defense and not being ejected.”
Otay Ranch head coach Carlos Stinson also saw the game as one of two halves.
“The first half we didn’t perform,” he acknowledged. “The second half we started doing what we had been practicing. We were leaning on our fundamentals. We played aggressive defense.”
Julian Orozco led the Mustangs with six goals, including three consecutive tallies late in the first half to narrow the score to 8-3.
Otay Ranch eventually managed to narrow the score to 11-7 late in the fourth quarter as Orozco scored his final goal of the game.
Ivan Lopez scored the other goal for the Mustangs.
“Our goals are to master the fundamentals and establish our team as a contender,” Stinson said. “We want to be one of the best conditioned teams anywhere. It will take a lot of work. The season is still young.”
The Barons will host Mission Bay in a non-league game Tuesday, Sept. 10, at Southwestern College. Game time is 3:45 p.m.
Around the section
- Westview is off to a 4-0 start in non-league play while Classical Academy is off to a 5-1 start.
- Point Loma and La Costa Canyon are both off to 4-1 starts while Torrey Pines and Poway are both off to 3-1 starts.
- Granite Hills is off to a 3-2 start while Rancho Bernardo is off to a 5-2 start.
Photo Gallery by Phillip Brents
