Burroughs water polo looking to end playoff road with title history
Before the start of the season, the Burroughs High boys’ water polo team came up with a motto of “Road to Rings.”
“That was something that the guys came up with even before we started playing,” Burroughs Coach Jacob Cook said. “They wanted this season to be a road to them winning CIF championship rings. That’s something that has motivated them the whole season and it’s something that’s really carried them.”
Being a team at Burroughs, talking about winning a CIF Southern Section championship is one thing, but actually earning a title is quite another. The school endured a near-seven decades-long struggle in capturing CIF titles throughout all sports.
In its 68 years, only once has a team from Burroughs been able to hoist a CIF championship plaque, which came in 2014 when the Indians boys’ cross-country team won a Division I crown. The school has had squads advance to CIF title contests in football, boys’ basketball, boys’ soccer and boys’ volleyball, but the cross-country championship still stands alone.
“We want to make history,” Burroughs junior Marko Vucetic said. “We want to be the first water polo team at the school to win a CIF title, but we also want to bring a championship to the school. ...That’s what motivates us.”
The Indians will get that chance when they take on San Juan Hills in the Division V championship at 10 a.m. Saturday at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center in Irvine.
It is the first CIF championship appearance for the Indians, whose deepest postseason run prior to this season was a semifinals run in 1998. For San Juan Hills, from San Juan Capistrano, it will also be in a final for the first time.
“Everyone from our team is super excited to be in the position that we’re in,” Cook said. “We are very confident and we want to go all the way. We’ve made it this far, so why not go and finish it. As the season has gone, on our goal to win it all has become more real. It’s great that we’re finally here.
“A lot of these guys have been playing together since they were little kids and the team has really come together this year. We have a very, very talented group of guys who just work well together and they’ve made it happen.”
Third-seeded Burroughs (24-8), the runner-up from the Pacific League, earned a spot in the final with a 9-7 victory Wednesday against No. 2 La Cañada. The Indians also recorded playoff victories against Jurupa Valley, 16-8, Citrus Valley, 15-13, and Whittier, 22-8.
The Indians like to spread the scoring around, getting production from the likes of Vucetic (93 goals), senior Aram Nordanyan (91 goals), junior David Arakelyan (77 goals) and junior JJ Ambartsumyan (46 goals).
“I think it’s really hard for a team to stop us, because we have so many players who can shoot and score,” Nordanyan said. “But we play as a team, not as individuals. Our offense has really gelled this year and we are very focused.
“We are definitely super stoked to be playing Saturday and, honestly, we have dreamt about this and we’ve worked hard to get here and I think we deserve it.”
San Juan Hills (18-11) has enjoyed a resurgence this season. The Stallions tied for the Sea View League title after going 0-8 during league play in 2015.
The Stallions punched their ticket to the title contest with an 8-6 victory Wednesday against No. 1 Corona. The team has also played in some close matches in the playoffs, earning wins against Murrieta Mesa, 10-9, Don Lugo, 13-12, and Western, 18-5.
San Juan Hills has an accomplished scorer in senior Brett McClain (112 goals, 21 assists), a talented freshman in Max Miller (85 goals) and a steady goalkeeper in senior Andrew Mansoor (304 saves).
“We are all like family and we play like one big family,” San Juan Hills Coach Ivan Buich said. “If one doesn’t pick up the slack, another one will. That’s really what we pride ourselves on.
“We have just matured so much as a team this year and, with my coaching staff, we just do whatever we can to put the boys first. They’ve worked hard to get to the point and our guys are not going to let up just because we got to a championship game.”
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Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com
Twitter: @jefftsports