A record nine Metro Conference teams qualified for this year’s four divisional San Diego Section boys water polo playoffs, including six in the 12-team Division III field.
In fact, the first-ever CIF triple-header took place Tuesday afternoon at Loma Verde pool to accommodate the glut of South County teams.
In the first game of the first-round Division III triple-dip, fifth-seeded Bonita Vista defeated 12th-seeded Castle Park, 22-4, while eighth-seeded Olympian dropped a 12-8 decision to ninth-seeded San Dieguito Academy in the second game and seventh-seeded San Ysidro came up on the short end of a 4-3 match-up against 10th-seeded Oceanside in the finale.
Castle Park, Olympian and San Ysidro were all participating in their first-ever CIF playoff game.
In other first-round games on Tuesday, 11th-seeded Chula Vista saw its season end with a 14-2 loss to sixth-seeded Classical Academy in a Division III game played at Del Norte High School while 12th-seeded Mater Dei Catholic was eliminated, 16-11, by fifth-seed Clairemont in a Division II contest at played at the Jewish Community Center.
Both Mar Vista (seeded second) and Eastlake (seeded fourth) received byes to Friday’s Division II quarterfinals at La Jolla High School.
Eastlake (21-8) will meet Clairemont (18-9) at 5:15 p.m., while Mar Vista (25-4) will test its post-season fortunes against seventh-seeded Monte Vista (19-9) at 7:45 p.m. The winners of those games advance to next Tuesday’s division semifinals, also at LJHS.
“We came together as a team at the right time of the season,” said Bonita Vista head coach Betty Alexander, whose team captured its first playoff game in years. “We did some team bonding and some more drills, in the last three games (of the regular season), we played better each game.
“I’m proud of the team, I’m proud of my starters, I’m proud of my subs and, the seniors, I’m sad to see them go.”
The Barons, who bolted out to an 11-4 halftime lead over the Trojans (3-6), advance to meet fourth-seeded Otay Ranch (8-12) in Thursday’s Division III quarterfinals at LJHS (5:15 p.m. start), with the winner advancing to next Monday’s division semifinals at the same site.
Jose Ibanez led Bonita Vista (10-20) with four goals while teammate Bryan Murillo contributed three goals to the winning effort and fellow Baron Ezekiel Flores scored twice. BV goalie Diego Sanchez responded with nine saves.
It was the first-ever CIF victory for the Barons’ current group of seniors.
“It’s pretty cool really – it’s been five or so years since Bonita was last in CIF,” Baron senior Matt Ayala said. “We had no clue what to expect walking into it.”
“This was a really big win – the first win in CIF is always a big win,” noted Murillo, another senior.
Mauricio Martinez led Castle Park with three goals.
Despite the loss, he said competing in the playoff game meant a lot to the Trojans. “Wow — it was just magical,” he gushed.
Almost famous
Olympian, which finished second to South Bay League champion San Ysidro this season, battled back from an early 3-0 deficit against the Mustangs (9-20) to make it a 5-4 contest at halftime.
But San Dieguito Academy reeled off five unanswered goals in the pivotal third quarter to take a 10-4 advantage. The Eagles (6-5) regrouped to score four goals in the final quarter to trim a 12-6 deficit to 12-8 and a respectable finish.
Senior team scoring leader Alan Gonzalez led Olympian with five goals in the team’s first-ever CIF outing while Grady Romero scored two goals and Zachary Chambers scored once. Jacob Rodriguez was credited with six goalie saves for the Eagles.
“It was an honor to have coached all these guys,” OHS coach Carolyn Lechner said. “This is the first time in Olympian history that a water polo team has qualified for CIF. We had two four-year varsity players this year. I couldn’t be more proud of this group. We prepared all season for this moment.”
Gonzalez finished his senior year with 37 goals in 11 games.
San Ysidro also proved to be slow starters in its inaugural playoff appearance. Oceanside came out with a strong defensive effort to lead 3-1 at halftime.
However, the Cougars (13-13, 8-0 in league) rallied with the opening two goals of the third quarter to tie the game before the Pirates went back on top in the evenly-matched contest.
San Ysidro had a chance to take the lead but missed a penalty shot to start the fourth quarter; the Cougars also had a goal disallowed in the final quarter.
Overall, the reigning South Bay League champions missed two penalty shots in the game.
Brian Coronado led the Cougars with two goals.
“We had our opportunities,” SYHS coach Giancarlo Nencini said. “We’re losing only three seniors, so we’re set for next year. It should be exciting.
“This was all about experience.”
Metro Conference
Boys Water Polo Standings
(Through Nov. 11)
Mesa League
Mar Vista Mariners 10-0, 25-4
Eastlake Titans 8-2, 21-8
Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders 3-7, 12-13
Hilltop Lancers 3-7, 12-14
Otay Ranch Mustangs 3-7, 8-12
Bonita Vista Barons 3-7, 10-20
x-league champion
South Bay League
x-San Ysidro Cougars 8-0, 13-13
Olympian Eagles 5-3. 6-5
Chula Vista Spartans 4-4, 4-7
Castle Park Trojans 3-5, 3-6
Southwest Raiders 0-8, 0-14
x-league champion
San Diego Section Playoffs
(Seedings denoted)
Open Division
1. Cathedral Catholic (16-11)
2. Bishop’s (19-8)
3. Grossmont (22-8)
4. University City (22-6)
5. Coronado (15-12)
6. Westview (20-8)
7. La Jolla (15-13)
8. Torrey Pines (16-11)
Division I
1. Granite Hills (18-9)
2. Vista (14-14)
3. Carlsbad (15-13)
4. La Costa Canyon (16-10)
5. Valhalla (15-14)
6. Ramona (15-9)
7. San Pasqual (18-10)
8. Serra (10-8)
9. Mt. Carmel (12-15)
10. Scripps Ranch (12-13)
11. Poway (11-15)
12. Valley Center (11-15)
Division II
1. Fallbrook (23-7)
2. Mar Vista (25-4)
3. Del Norte (17-11)
4. Eastlake (21-8)
5. Clairemont (17-9)
6. Rancho Bernardo (12-16)
7. Monte Vista (18-9)
8. La Jolla Coutry Day (14-12)
9. Helix (15-12)
10. Steele Canyon (9-13)
11. Patrick Henry (10-16)
12. Mater Dei Catholic (12-12)
First round:
Tuesday, Nov. 11
(12) Mater Dei Catholic (12-12) vs. (5) Clairemont (17-9) at Jewish Community Center, 3 p.m.
Result:
Clairemont 16, Mater Dei Catholic 11
Quarterfinals:
Friday, Nov. 14
La Jolla High School
(1) Fallbrook (23-7) vs. La Jolla Country Day, 4 p.m.
(4) Eastlake (21-8) vs. Clairemont, 5:15 p.m.
(3) Del Norte (17-11) vs. Rancho Bernardo 6:30 p.m.
(2) Mar Vista (25-4) vs. Monte Vista, 7:45 p.m.
Division III
1. San Marcos (22-4)
2. El Camino (14-13)
3. Mission Hills (13-11)
4. Otay Ranch (8-12)
5. Bonita Vista (9-20)
6. Classical Academy (10-10)
7. San Ysidro (13-12)
8. Olympian (6-4)
9. San Dieguito Academy (8-20)
10. Oceanside (4-7)
11. Chula Vista (4-6)
12. Castle Park (3-5)
First-round:
Tuesday, Nov. 11
(5) Bonita Vista (9-20) vs. (12) Castle Park (3-5), 10:30 a.m. at Loma Verde pool
(6) Classical Academy (10-10) vs. (11) Chula Vista (4-6), TBA
(8) Olympian (6-4) vs. (9) San Dieguito Academy (8-20), noon at Loma Verde pool
(7) San Ysidro (13-12) vs. (10) Oceanside (4-7), 1:30 p.m. at Loma Verde pool
Results:
Bontia Vista 22, Castle Park 4
Classical Academy 12, Chula Vista 4
San Dieguito Academy 12, Olympian 8
Oceanside 4, San Yisdro 3
Quarterfinals:
Thursday, Nov. 13
La Jolla High School
(1) San Marcos (22-4) vs. 9) San Dieguito Academy (9-20), 4 p.m.
(4) Otay Ranch (8-12) vs. (5) Bonita Vista (10-20), 5:15 p.m.
(3) Mission Hills (13-11) vs. (6) Classical Academy (11-10), 6:30 p.m.
(2) El Camino (14-13) vs. (10) Oceanside (5-7), 7:45 p.m.
