League play begins for girls water polo

Del Norte wound up being the girls water polo toast of the Palomar League last season in its first season in that league.

After finishing second to Westview in the league race, the Nighthawks, who wound up 25-6 last year, captured the San Diego Section Division II championship with a 12-5 win over West Hills in the finals.

It was the school’s first CIF crown in girls water polo.

Besides Westview, Rancho Bernardo may be a serious challenger to Del Norte in the league race, although the Broncos are in the midst of a five-game losing skid at the moment.

Del Norte (7-2, 0-0) opens league play today (Thursday) at Rancho Bernardo (7-5, 0-0). Poway (4-6, 0-0), which is in rebuilding mode, opened league Tuesday at home against Mt. Carmel (6-3, 0-0). Westview (6-7, 0-0) opens league play today at Poway.

With just one round of league games, every match is vital because there is no chance to gain a split in the second round with a team after a first-round loss.

“Single elimination makes each game do or die,’’ Rancho Bernardo’s Fred Gleason said. “Winning league is our only goal, no matter what it takes.’’

Anticipating being assigned to a tougher division in the postseason, Del Norte coach Greg Ormsby’s first assignment when he took over the team was upgrade the schedule a bit.

It has paid off. The Nighthawks are off to a 7-2 start with a modest four-game winning streak with wins over Eastlake, Dana Hills, La Jolla, San Juan Capistrano and Vista.

The only losses were to perennial powerhouses Huntington Beach and El Toro from Orange County.

“We knew the league would be tough,’’ Ormsby said. “We’ll have two tournaments later on - the America’s Finest City in Coronado and the San Diego Open - to get us playoff-ready. Hopefully, that will be the key factors in getting us into the Open Division.

“We’re not as deep as teams like Carlsbad, Cathedral or Coronado, but that’s what makes the Open Division interesting.’’

Del Norte captured both meetings last year from Rancho Bernardo - 14-5 during league play and 11-2 in the AFC Tournament.

Rancho Bernardo opened the season going 7-0 before venturing into the Harbor Cup in Orange County, losing to Laguna Beach, Carlsbad and Riverside Poly before beating Edison.

“We found out who our best players are and can they compete against good teams,’’ Gleason said. “We’re so young. It appears the girls are up for this challenge.’’

Gleason figures his Broncos, who won this year’s Broncos Invitational, may wind up in Division I for the playoffs.

Poway’s best win this year came against Corona in the Bronco Invitational.

The Titans’ roster is built for the future and includes three freshmen and four sophomores. There is just one senior on the team.