SD Prep Sports: Prep Girls Water Polo
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2009 Prep Girls Water Polo
San Diego Section
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Mesa League co-champions South Bay League
co-champions San Diego Section San Diego Section Playoffs |
Eight East County teams advance to CIF girls water polo playoffs
Posted Feb. 15, 2010
East County’s high school girls water polo teams certainly did not get a lack of respect when it came to filling out the brackets for this year’s San Diego Section playoffs. A total of eight Grossmont Conference teams were picked to continue their seasons in postseason play.
That says a lot about the caliber playing talent and quality coaching in the county’s eastern region.
Five of the six teams from Grossmont Hills League qualified for the playoffs, led by tri-champions Granite Hills, Valhalla and Steele Canyon. Helix and Grossmont, which tied for fourth in the GHL standings, also qualified. The top three teams from the Grossmont Valley League advanced: El Capitan (first), Santana (second) and Monte Vista (third).
Granite Hills, Valhalla and Steele Canyon all tied with 8-2 league records in the Grossmont Hills League standings, followed by Helix (3-7) and Grossmont (3-7); El Capitan finished 8-0 in Grossmont Valley League play, followed by Santana (6-2) and Monte Vista (4-4).
Five of the eight East County playoff qualifiers were seeded in the Division II bracket, with Steele Canyon, Valhalla and El Capitan each drawing home games in Thursday’s opening round.
Steele Canyon (19-9) was seeded fourth and drew a home pool assignment against 13th-seeded Santana (17-8). Valhalla (20-9) was seeded sixth and drew 11th-seeded Santa Fe Christian (10-10) while El Capitan (23-5) was seeded seventh and drew 10th-seeded Point Loma (17-12).
Monte Vista, seeded 16th, drew top-seeded Coronado (20-8) in Thursday’s first round.
First-round winners advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals at La Jolla High School.
The Division I playoffs were set to start with first-round action on Wednesday, with first-round winners also advancing to Saturday’s quarterfinals.
Granite Hills was the lone East County squad to earn a home game in Wednesday’s opening round of the Division I playoffs. The Eagles (15-3) were seeded seventh and drew 10th-seeded Westview (12-17). Helix (16-13) was seeded 13th and drew a road assignment against fourth-seeded Fallbrook (24-6), this year’s Avocado League champion. Grossmont (14-13) was seeded 15th and drew second-seeded Carlsbad (17-11), the runner-up team from the Palomar League.
A total of 16 teams were seeded in each of the Division I and Division II brackets.
A total of 21 teams applied for berths in the Division I playoffs, with automatic entries going to seven league champions. That left 14 teams vying for nine playoff spots, with both Helix and Grossmont escaping the playoff chopping block.
Sixteen teams applied for berths in the Division I playoffs, with just three league champions sewing up spots.
Designated league champions included Vista (Palomar League), Fallbrook (Avocado League), Mt. Carmel (Valley League), Granite Hills (Grossmont Hills League), Patrick Henry (Eastern League), Bonita Vista (Mesa League) and Hilltop (South Bay League), all in Division I; and El Capitan (Grossmont Valley League), Mission Bay (Central League) and Coronado (Western League), all in Division II.
Vista (22-6) received the No. 1 seed in the Division I playoffs while Carlsbad was seeded second, Poway (15-13) was seeded third, Fallbrook was seeded fourth, Torrey Pines (22-8) was seeded fifth, Mt. Carmel (22-7) was seeded sixth, Granite Hills was seeded seventh, Rancho Buena Vista (17-12) was seeded eighth, Patrick Henry (22-7) was seeded ninth, Westview was seeded 10th, Rancho Bernardo (8-20) was seeded 11th, Scripps Ranch (18-9) was seeded 12th, Helix was seeded 13th, Bonita Vista (16-8) was seeded 14th, Grossmont was seeded 15th and Hilltop (8-10) was seeded 16th.
The top three seeds in the Division II playoffs were all from the Western League: top-seeded Coronado, second-seeded Bishop’s 19-6) and third-seeded La Jolla (15-6). Following fourth-seeded Steele Canyon were fifth-seeded Cathedral Catholic (9-16), sixth-seeded Valhalla, seventh-seeded El Capitan and eighth-seeded University City (13-15), ninth-seeded Mission Bay (16-7), 10th-seeded Point Loma, 11th-seeded Santa Fe Christian, 12th-seeded Ramona (15-13), 13th-seeded Santana, 14th-seeded Valley Center, 15th-seeded Canyon Crest Academy (14-16) and 16th-seeded Monte Vista.
Game times for Saturday’s quarterfinals are 8:30 a.m. (Vista-Hilltop winner vs. Patrick Henry-RBV winner), 9:45 a.m. (Torrey Pines-Scripps Ranch winner vs. Fallbrook-Helix winner), 11 a.m. (Bonita Vista-Poway winner vs. Rancho Bernardo-Mt. Carmel winner), 12:15 p.m. (Granite Hills-Westview winner vs. Carlsbad-Grossmont winner), 1:30 p.m. (Coronado-Monte Vista winner vs. Mission Bay-University City winner), 2:45 p.m. (Cathedral Catholic-Ramona winner vs. Steele Canyon-Santana winner), 4 p.m. (La Jolla-Valley Center winner vs. Valhalla-Santa Fe Christian winner) and 5:15 p.m. (El Capitan-Point Loma winner vs. Bishop’s-Canyon Crest winner).
Semifinals follow Feb. 23 (Division I) and Feb. 24 (Division II), also at LJHS. The championship round for both divisions is scheduled Feb. 27 at LJHS.
Bonita Vista defeated Eastlake, 6-5, on Feb. 12 to move into a tie with Otay Ranch for the Mesa League championship but won the coin flip to represent the league in the section playoffs. Ditto for Hilltop and Mar Vista in the South Bay League.
Barons, Mustangs finish as Mesa League girls water polo co-champions
Wet shots
This season may have been one of the most parity-ridden for local teams but not the strongest for the Metro Conference in terms of section-wide competition. Both Bonita Vista and Otay Ranch made history by advancing to the CIF quarterfinals in 2007-08.
The coin flip — Metro comes up a loser
The Metro Conference currently breaks ties for league championships by a coin flip. The winner is designated as the league champion for purposes of seeding in the San Diego Section playoffs, thereby receiving automatic entry in postseason competition. The loser must fend for itself as an at-large entry, hoping it can generate enough respect to squeeze into the playoffs.
But respect at the countywide level is something South County teams — seemingly regardless of the sport — rarely seem to receive.
When Hilltop won the coin flip to emerge as the South Bay League’s designated girls water polo champion and Bonita Vista won the coin flip to claim the designated Mesa League championship, it effectively shut out Mesa League co-champion Otay Ranch from the playoffs.
Hilltop, you see, is a Division I school along with Bonita Vista and Otay Ranch. The thought of two South Bay teams in the same playoff bracket is abhorrent enough to many outside the South Bay. But three?
No way.
Such was the case.
Bonita Vista earned the 14th seed in this year’s 16-team Division I playoff bracket while Hilltop was seeded 16th. Some may contend that Bonita Vista and Hilltop were included in the playoffs only because they had to be included as league champions.
If that stings, that’s reality. Until Metro Conference teams can annually demonstrate they belong among the section’s elite, it’s going to stay that way, at least among the perceived “minor” sports such as girls water polo. Actually, the perception is likely to linger for a while even if South County teams, as a whole, do raise their level of play.
It’s a stigma that isn’t easily erased.
But the reality of the situation is that Bonita Vista and Hilltop did qualify for the playoffs, even if a deserving North County team or two might have been the victim of the CIF chopping block. It only goes to show that there are an abundance of quality teams out there and perhaps the playoffs as a whole need to be expanded from two divisions to three divisions, thus spreading out the talent.
Expansion of playoff divisions is something that definitely needs to be addressed in the boys water polo playoffs (currently two divisions) and boys lacrosse playoffs (currently one division).
Football, cross country and girls volleyball currently utilize five enrollment divisions. Tennis employs three playoff divisions and both softball and baseball sport multi-divisional playoff brackets.
The popularity of water polo and lacrosse seems to be increasing and the number of schools fielding the sports has risen in recent years — about to the point where serious discussion is merited about playoff expansion.
For many years, boys water polo was just a single division playoff sport. The addition of a second division was a bounty but since then the number of talent-ridden programs have risen almost to the point of dominance.
The top three teams from the Western League — Coronado, Bishop’s and La Jolla — earned the top three seeds in the Division II girls water polo playoffs. At 0-6 in Western League play, Cathedral Catholic earned the No. 5 seed in the division.
Of the 16 teams entered in the Division I girls water polo playoffs, 10 were from North County.
East County teams did make some inroads in this year’s playoff field with eight representatives, including five in the Division II bracket.
An total of 21 teams applied for entry in this year’s Division I girls water polo playoffs and 16 for Division II. With a glut of playoff worthy teams in Division I this season, the prospect of three South County teams in the same playoff division was simply a no-go scenario.
Otay Ranch lost out not because it was the odd team out from the South Bay but because there were better teams ahead of it in the playoff pecking order. So there’s no point grumbling about it, even if the Mustangs had a better overall record by winning percentage — there just wasn’t room.
Conversely, if Mar Vista had won the coin flip, the Mariners were a shoo-in at the Division II level and the South Bay would, in fact, have had three playoff entries this season for the girls water polo playoffs.
There’s a problem with the way the conference currently breaks ties for entry into the CIF playoffs. If tiebreakers were employed, for instance, based on which team won the second round match-up in league play, which team had the better overall record, which team placed higher in common tournaments or which team had the better goal-differential head-to-head or in league play, there would be some clearly-defined criteria in place. A playoff game could even be employed. All those options would be preferable to a coin flip.
It’s time that hideous by-law is rewritten. It’s just too cruel.
Hilltop tops Mar Vista, 5-3, to share South Bay League championship
Posted Feb. 10, 2010
Nick Davidson was a standout aquatic athlete at Hilltop High School, excelling in the pool as a swimmer and water polo player. He entered this season as a second-year coach of the school’s girls water polo team, calling it “an adventure all its own.”
That adventure isn’t over quite yet after the Lancers defeated rival Mar Vista, 5-3, Wednesday at the Parkway pool to share the South Bay League championship with the Mariners.
Both Hilltop and Mar Vista finished with 5-1 league records.
The Lancers then won the coin-flip to represent the league in the upcoming San Diego Section playoffs. It was the first league title for Hilltop in six years.
“I’m just so proud of my girls — I’ve had the chills all day long since we won it,” Davidson said.
Hilltop received two goals each from Emily Scheet and Jordan Akers and one goal from Miranda Turner, the team’s goalie. Turner scored on a pool-length shot just prior to the buzzer to end the first half.
Ariana Trammel scored all three Mariner goals.
Hilltop and Mar Vista were followed by Castle Park and Southwest in the league standings. Teams at Olympian and Mater Dei failed to either materialize or complete the season, Davidson said.
The Division I playoffs, in which Hilltop will be entered, start Wednesday, Feb. 17.
Mustangs, Barons are fit to be tied
Posted Feb. 3, 2010
Hmmm, the Sweetwater Red Devils and Montgomery Aztecs girls basketball teams have exchanged home court wins to knot up the South Bay League standings and so have Bonita Vista and Otay Ranch in Mesa League girls water polo action.
Bonita Vista shaded league leader Otay Ranch, 3-1, in a very defense-minded match-up last Friday to pull even in the loss column with only a handful of games remaining in regular season play.
The score was tied 0-0 after the opening quarter and 1-1 through the third quarter before the Barons scored the decisive goals in the final quarter.
Cecy Inzunza had the lone goal for Otay Ranch; Danielle Harrington and Sarah Skinker scored for Bonita Vista. For the Barons, Liz Crocker made 17 goalie saves while Otay’s Kelsey Eaton had 13 saves.
Mustang ladies making a splash in Mesa League play
Otay Ranch led 5-1 when play was stopped in the first period when the teams first got together Jan. 22. The teams settled for four goals apiece when the final three periods were played.
When the totals were added up, Alex Sanchez led the Mustang with four goals, one assist and four steals while Sarah Medina had three goals, four steals and one assist. Mariela Rodriguez had two goals, one steal and one assist while Kelsey Eaton made 14 goalie saves.
Simone Banks led the Titans with four goals while Jessica Moreno scored once for Eastlake.
Rain has played havoc with the schedule. Otay Ranch downed Chula Vista, 10-6, in a game played last Saturday but originally scheduled for Jan. 16 at the Las Palmas pool.
The Mustangs faced off league play with a 9-4 victory against Bonita Vista on Jan. 13. In that game, Sanchez had four goals and five steals while Cecy Inzunza contributed three goals, Medina had one goal and two assists and Rodriguez chipped in with one goal. Eaton had 14 saves.
For the Barons, Sarah Skinker had four goals and Liz Crocker made eight saves.
The Otay Ranch junior varsity team was off to a 7-0 start to complement the varsity team’s success.
Coach Ernie Medina admitted his pleasure with the performance of his young squad.
“The Lady Mustangs are progressing and developing into a pretty good team,” he said. “For having a young starting squad of one freshman, four sophomores and two seniors, we are still learning but work hard. We not only have leaders but young players who step it up when needed.”
Sanchez had collected 20 goals and 18 steals in the team’s opening six games while Rodriguez had 12 goals and 13 steals.
The league champion receives automatic entry into the upcoming San Diego Section playoffs.
The section playoffs will include 32 teams, 16 in Division I and 16 in Division II. The Division I playoffs begin Feb. 17 at the home pool of the higher-seeded team while the Division II playoffs start Feb. 18, also at the home pool of the higher-seeded team.
Two quadruple-headers will take place involving teams from both divisions at La Jolla High School on Feb. 20. Division I games are slated at 8:30, 9:45, 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Division II games are scheduled at 1:30, 2:45, 4 and 5:15 p.m.
The semifinal and championship rounds also will be played at LJHS. The Division I semifinals are scheduled Feb. 23 and the Division II semifinals are scheduled Feb. 24. A championship double-header will top off the section season on Feb. 27. The Division I game is scheduled at 5 p.m. The Division II game is scheduled at 7:30 p.m.
Winter Water Polo Classic
Otay Ranch Mustangs grab sixth-place finish
The Otay Ranch High School girls water polo team entered last weekend’s Winter Classic Invitational with an unbeaten 5-0 record and came out of the fray with a 7-3 season mark and a sixth-place tournament showing. The Mustangs finished 2-3 in tourney play, defeating Mt. Miguel and Canyon Crest Academy.
Valhalla edged Patrick Henry, 5-4, in the championship game while Grossmont defeated University City, 11-5, in the third-place game. Point Loma topped Otay Ranch, 10-4, in the sixth-place contest. Point Loma also finished 2-3 in the tournament. Valhalla finished unbeaten with a 5-0 record, followed by Patrick Henry (4-1), Grossmont (3-2) and University City (3-2).
Finals were held at Santana High School.
Senior Alex Sanchez led the Mustangs on the all-tournament team. She finished the tournament with 25 goals, 21 steals and two assists. Sophomore Mariela Rodriguez scored 17 goals, 28 steals and one assist while senior Cecy Inzunza collected 13 goals, 33 steals and five assists. Freshman Sarah Medina had 12 goals, eight steals and three assists while sophomore Tori Kelly had seven goals and three steals, sophomore Audrey Py had for goals and four steals, junior Bianca Arellano had one goal and four steals and sophomore Sara Gagarin contributed six steals. Sophomore Kelsey Eaton made 87 goalie saves, scored three goals from the cage and had four steals.
Otay Ranch defeated Mt. Miguel, 16-1, as Sanchez and Rodriguez each scored four goals. Sanchez had three of her team’s goals in a 5-3 victory over Canyon Crest while Eaton made seven saves.
The Mustangs ran their season-opening winning streak to five games after topping host Monte Vista, 8-7, on Dec. 10. Sanchez had four goals and three steals while Medina scored three goals and had two steals. Inzunza had one goal, one assist and two steals while Eaton made 10 saves and had one steal.
Otay Ranch defeated San Marcos, 13-3, in a non-league game Dec. 8 at the Loma Verde pool as Medina had three goals and one steal and four other Mustangs — Rodriguez, Sanchez, Inzunza and Kelly — each scored two goals.
The Mustangs previously defeated El Cajon Valley, 15-4, in non-league play on Dec. 4. Sanchez had four goals, five steals and one assist while Rodriguez collected five goals. Eaton was credited with 12 saves and one steal.
Otay Ranch hosts Bonita Vista to jump-start Mesa League varsity play on Jan. 8.
Otay Ranch splashes season opening mark to 4-0
CHULA VISTA, Dec. 8, 2009 -- Sarah Medina had three goals and one steal and four other Mustangs each scored two goals as Otay Ranch extended its season opening record to 4-0 with a 13-3 non-league victory over San Marcos in a game played at the Loma Verde pool. Mariela Rodriguez had two goals, two steals and one assist while Alex Sanchez had two goals and three steals to buttress the Mustang scoring attack. Cecy Inzunza had two goals and two steals while Tori Kelly had two goals and one steal. Kelsey Eaton bracedr Otay Ranch in the cage with one goal, two steals and seven saves.
The Mustangs previously defeated El Cajon Valley on Dec. 4. Otay Ranch was scheduled to play at Monte Vista on Dec. 10. The varsity team will round out the calendar year with an appearance at the Winter Water Polo Classic Dec. 17-19 at Helix High School.
Mustangs make a splash with 2-0 season start
Posted Dec. 3, 2009
The Otay Ranch girls water polo team has become accustomed to winning the past several seasons and the 2009-10 campaign appears to be no different after the Mustangs jump-started the new season with a pair of commanding non-league victories. Otay Ranch defeated Hilltop, 15-4, on Monday and followed with an 8-3 win against Mar Vista on Tuesday.
Senior Alex Sanchez, a returning First Team All-Mesa League performer, led the Mustangs with six goals, three steals and one assist in Monday’s season opening victory while senior Cecy Inzunza, a returning second team all-league player, had three goals, three steals and one assist.
Sophomore Mariela Rodriguez had two goals and three steals while three other sophomores also contributed from the field: Audrey Py (one goal, two steals), Sara Gagarin (one goal, one steal) and Tori Kelly (one goal).
Sophomore goalie Kelsy Eaton, another returning first team all-leaguer, made nine saves and scored a goal from the cage.
Sanchez led Otay Ranch with four goals and four steals in the win against Mar Vista while Rodriguez had two goals and four steals, Inzunza contributed one goal, one assist and four steals and freshman Sarah Medina had one goal and one steal. Eaton had 10 goalie saves and one steal.
Other players expected to impact the varsity lineup this season include sophomore Briana Patricio and junior Alex Arambula.
The Mustangs continue non-league play with a 4:30 p.m. game Friday at El Cajon Valley and follow Tuesday, Dec. 8, with a 7 p.m. game against San Marcos at the Loma Verde pool. Otay Ranch plays at Monte Vista on Thursday, Dec. 10.
The Winter Water Polo Classic is scheduled Dec. 17-19 at Helix High School.
The Mustangs host Bonita Vista to jump-start Mesa League play on Jan. 8.