A tale of two teams

Mike Sciacca

The scenarios had been swirling all week around the Laguna Beach High

pool, but the bottom line was simple: just win.

Laguna’s boys’ water polo team entered its most crucial week of

the season Monday, a week that included three final regular games,

including today’s home nonleague match against Long Beach Millikan.

The Breakers got their week off to a great start by winning a

nonleague match at La Habra Monday, then turned their thoughts to a

huge Thursday showdown at Pacific Coast League rival University.

A win against the Trojans in the league finale for both teams

would secure a CIF playoff berth for the program for the ninth

consecutive year.

“It all comes down to us beating University Thursday, it’s that

simple,” first-year coach Rick McKee said. “There are a few

scenarios, though, that will dictate whether or not we make the

playoffs.”

One is that if University defeated Corona del Mar on Wednesday,

then lost to Laguna the following day, that combination would create

a three-way tie for second-place in the league standings.

It also would force a round-robin playoff between the three

schools at a neutral site, perhaps Saturday (Nov. 8), McKee said, and

the outcome of the mini-tournament would determine the second- and

third-place teams.

If Corona del Mar defeated University Wednesday and Laguna

defeated the Trojans Thursday, he said, then the Breakers would wrap

up third-place and are more than likely to receive a wild-card

invitation to the Division I playoffs, which begin next week.

Today, the Breakers will know if their season continues.

Laguna, which was an even 12-12 overall and 1-2 in PCL play

heading into Thursday’s match, had surged toward a possible playoff

berth despite losing several standout players from last year’s

playoff team, to graduation.

Five seniors have led the way, including co-captains Ryan

Winfield, a utility player, and Nima Mortazavi, a hole set and the

team’s leading scorer. The other seniors are drivers Dustin Caris and

twins Morgan and Nolan Plant.

McKee has started two juniors and a sophomore on a consistent

basis this year and has been proud of the effort put forth by his

squad.

“They’ve made my first year really enjoyable,” he said. “They have

responded really well to me and they have rallied around one another

and have showed a lot of pride.

“Interestingly enough, the kids weren’t expecting much this

season. We had talent but we were young, in terms of experience. But

when I sat down with each of them individually, at the beginning of

the season, they each said their goal was to make CIF. They were

within reach of that goal this week.”

The CIF playoffs certainly are in the future for Laguna’s girls’

tennis team, which on Tuesday earned a portion of the Pacific Coast

League championship by virtue of a 12-5 win over University.

The Breakers, who went 17-1 overall and 9-1 in league against a

demanding schedule, continue the PCL postseason tournament today with

two rounds of singles play and again on Monday, with semifinal and

championship round play in singles and doubles.

Laguna was ranked third in this week’s Los Angeles Times all-CIF

divisions poll, the school’s highest ranking in 10 years, Coach Brian

Ricker said.

“The keys to our success have been team cohesiveness, versatility

and depth,” Ricker said. “We have a large team and they get along

better than any tennis teams I have ever seen. Everyone is always

cheering for each other and the girls who don’t get to play as much,

have fantastic attitudes and are great cheerleaders when they aren’t

in. This is a great group of young ladies.”

Highlights of the regular season include some outstanding

individual records.

In singles play, No. 1 Claire Rietsch, a sophomore who is the

league’s defending champion, went 36-3, and No. 2 Lorren Butterwick,

also a sophomore, went 33-12. Sophomore Katie Ochwat, who played both

singles and doubles, went 36-9 and fellow classmate Kellie Ammerman

went 34-8 in singles and doubles action.

Two other players saw action in singles and doubles with junior

Addison Doud holding a 20-9 record and senior Jill Levin finishing

7-7.

Jackie Reed, one of four seniors on the squad, was 35-10, mostly

in doubles action. Two other seniors, Jessica Murray and Britton

Simons, went 22-11 and 25-10, respectively, in doubles play.

In other doubles play, junior Correy Miller went 33-11, freshman

Lauren Thigpen went 29-15, junior Kim Ochwat went 18-4, and junior Kindell Arrington went 16-7.

“We change our lineup regularly, depending who we are playing,”

Ricker said. “All of our top girls have done a great job adjusting to

different lineups.

“Claire has had a fantastic season and is a solid, consistent

performer. You have to have a great No. 1 singles player to really be

successful and we have that in Claire.”

Some of Laguna’s bigger wins this season have come over Top 10

country-ranked teams: Woodbridge, Dana Hills, San Clemente, Newport

Harbor, Corona del Mar and University. In addition, they defeated

Palm Desert, the then-No. 1 team in CIF Division II and No. 3 in the

all-CIF divisions poll.

“Claire and Lorren Butterwick have done a great job at No. 1 and 2

singles,” Ricker said. “Our next group, Jackie Reed, Kellie Ammerman

and Katie Ochwat, are three really strong singles players. Reed is

really playing well right now and Ammerman and Ochwat have been there

all season.

“Correy Miller, Britton Simons, Jessica Murray and Lauren Thigpen

have played great at No. 2 and 3 doubles and Kim Ochwat, Kindell

Arrington and Addison Doud are probably the strongest 10, 11 and 12

players in the nation. They are very good tennis players on a team

that has too many good players.”