HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING:

Before the Sunset League season began, Newport Harbor High boys’ swimming coach Jason Lynch wasn’t so sure his Sailors could beat Fountain Valley.

“They have incredible depth,” Lynch said a couple of weeks ago, before the rest of the league found out that the Sailors do, too.

And not only did Newport Harbor beat Fountain Valley on Wednesday at home, but it wasn’t even that close. The Sailors boys prevailed, 111-59, to improve to 4-0 and 3-0 in league.

The score was identical to when Newport Harbor defeated Edison a week earlier. In their league opener on March 18, the Sailors defeated Esperanza by a similar 113-57 score.

So what gives for a school that captured the CIF Southern Section Division I boys’ water polo title last November? Newport Harbor won back-to-back Sea View League boys’ swimming titles in 2005 and 2006, but the Sunset League is a step up in competition. The Sailors, who sometimes call themselves “a swimming water polo team,” found that out last year, when they went 1-4 in league dual meets before pulling an impressive win at the league championship meet.

Newport Harbor finished second overall last year, behind Edison, but this year the Tars are gunning for it all and it’s shown. They play host to Los Alamitos today at 3 p.m.

“I’m really surprised,” said Sailors senior Clinton Jorth, who won the 200-yard individual medley and 100 freestyle against Fountain Valley and anchored both winning freestyle relays. “Going into the Fountain Valley and Edison meets, I thought it would be a lot closer. It just shows that our hard work is coming into effect. It makes you want to work even harder.”

This week has been spring break at Newport Harbor, but everyone stayed in town for the Sailors against Fountain Valley. Lynch said momentum was achieved early in the meet, when the Sailors out-touched the Barons to win the medley relay.

That winning team featured juniors Zach Osadche (backstroke) and Andy Hayes (breaststroke), and seniors Myles Christian (butterfly) and Brandon Parole (free). They finished in a season-best time of 1 minute, 43.76 seconds.

Harbor went on to win the 200 free with senior Colin McKibbin, and the 200 IM with a personal-best 2:01.97 from Jorth.

“On paper, I had us losing at the end of three events,” Lynch said. “But we were up by four, 25-21.”

Then, Newport Harbor’s David Linden, Blake Kelly and Spencer Richley swept the top three spots in the 50 free.

“We started out great,” Lynch said. “Our depth is definitely there. We’ve almost been doubling people up. They’re working really hard. We’re getting some good improvements with our other strokes besides freestyle, and in all the freestyle events we’re just coming through.”

Christian, who also finished second in the 100 butterfly, said it was also key that Newport Harbor went one-two in both of the freestyle relays. In the 200 free relay, the “A” team of Linden, Kelly, Christian and Jorth was first in 1:30.68, followed by the “B” team of Richley, McKibbin, Rush Stevens and Hayes in 1:33.15. The “B” team out-touched both of Fountain Valley’s teams.

Similarly, in the meet-ending 400 free relay, the Tars’ “A” team of Linden, Kelly, McKibbin and Jorth was first in 3:22.27, followed by Richley, Osadche, Matt Russell and Parole in 3:25.06.

“Especially in the 200 free relay, Lynch said we had a chance,” Christian said. “Rush Stevens pumped up the team and we were definitely stoked on getting first and second. Second semester of senior year, you would think ‘senior-itis’ kicks in, but we’re giving back to the team and giving it our all.”

Kelly, Russell and distance freestyle specialist Zach Lucas combine to form a strong sophomore core for Newport Harbor. It’s a thought that even excites Jorth, a senior who is headed to UCLA to play water polo.

“The sophomores have stepped it up a lot in training,” Jorth said. “I’m excited to see that and I’m excited for their future. We’ll still be a super-fast team once this senior class leaves.”

But for this year, a Sunset League title may be in order.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at [email protected].