Coast’s wins are a breeze

IRVINE — The Coast Water Polo Club 16-and-under boys’ team was certainly aptly named for its first pool-play encounter at the S&R; Sport USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics on Saturday.

After the first quarter, there was plenty of coasting for the squad, made up entirely of players from Corona del Mar High. Coast topped the “B” team from Houston Water Polo Club, 11-1, at Irvine High.

The game didn’t present much of a challenge for Coast, which is top-seeded among 48 teams in the boys’ 16-and-under field. Coast was already ahead, 7-0, after a quarter, behind four goals from Chase Watson and three goals from fellow Corona del Mar High junior-to-be Max Bergeson.

The most telling comment may have come from one of the game’s referees, who leaned over to the scorer’s table during the early barrage.

“They may cover the spread on this,” the referee joked.

Coast went on to defeat Lyons Water Polo Club of Illinois, 13-3, Saturday afternoon in its second and final pool-play game. The pair of wins ensure Coast’s entry into the tournament’s Platinum Division, consisting of the top 24 teams, beginning with today’s game.

Things may get tougher for Coast, but that’s all right with Coach Colin Mello, the former UC Irvine men’s water polo standout who was a first-team All-American in 2007.

“We know we’re the No. 1 seed, but I’m telling these guys you can’t think about it that way,” Mello said. “It’s one team against another team, it doesn’t matter if it’s [No.] 1 vs. 100 or one vs. two. It’s still one team vs. another, and you have to work on the same things you’re going to work on no matter what: playing smart, defense, just the fundamentals.”

Coast certainly appeared fundamentally sound against the Houston “B” team. Watson scored six goals, Bergeson had four and the other was put in by Miles Carpenter.

Perhaps more impressively, Coast didn’t allow a goal until Houston’s Evan Waidhofer scored on a six-on-five with 28 seconds left in the game.

“We want to come out at the beginning of every game and play like you don’t know who [the opponents] are, just come out with full intensity,” Bergeson said. “To get an early lead like that definitely helps, and we want to keep defense up the whole game and play as a team.”

Emery Molnar had a team-high four steals for Coast. Will Havercroft, Bergeson and Teddy Bandaruk all added two steals each.

Coast goalie Isle Anderson had a predictably quiet game, although he did make six saves and blocked a point-blank attempt by Houston’s Damien Hines in the second quarter.

Watson said being the top-seeded team in the tournament is a “major confidence booster,” but he was also impressed with the team’s play Saturday.

“It’s good to come out strong and keep the offensive tempo up,” Watson said. “If we just keep playing how we’ve been playing, we ought to be good.”

Mello agreed with his player’s assessment, although Coast will likely be challenged by club teams like SoCal Water Polo Club and Los Angeles Water Polo Club that draw from several high schools.

“You get a lot of all-star teams out here, [but] our guys basically come from a one-mile radius,” Mello said. “They all live within a mile of the school, and I think that’s pretty rare. Teams like SoCal and LA Water Polo, they come from an area that’s at least 10 times as big as ours. Our guys have proved they’re one of the best teams out there.”

The Coast boys’ 18-and-under team also won its two pool-play games Saturday to advance to the Platinum Division. Coast, which features topped Capital Area of Washington D.C. at Golden West College, 12-3, before getting by Clovis, 12-8.

The Newport Water Polo Foundation 18-and-under boys opened the tournament with a 21-3 victory over Eastside, before tying Santa Barbara Water Polo Club, 6-6. Coach Jason Lynch said Newport wins the pool because it allowed fewer goals than did Santa Barbara.

Lynch’s team has a Platinum Division game today at noon at Golden West College.

The NWPF 16-and-under boys were upset in their first game, 5-4, by Palos Verdes Water Polo Club, then lost to SoCal Black, 8-5.

The NWPF 14-and-under boys topped La Cañada, 12-3, in their opening game.

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