Girls’ water polo preview: Burroughs, Burbank hoping returners will lead way
Burroughs High girls’ water polo Coach Jacob Cook didn’t spend as much time as he would have liked preparing his team for the season.
Understandably so, as Cook was preoccupied with running the Indians boys’ team, which had a long season and made history by winning the program’s first-ever CIF Southern Section championship.
“We did get a little bit of a late start because the boys’ season just went so long with the playoffs,” Cook said. “We started a lot later than we usually do. But we’re into it now and we’re looking forward to a good season.”
Burroughs and Burbank field similar teams in terms of veteran players, as a majority of the players from both squads have returned this season.
Here is a closer look at the teams.
BURROUGHS
Burroughs (14-10, 6-2 in league last season) is coming off a season in which it finished runner-up in the Pacific League behind champion Crescenta Valley. The Indians fell in the first round of the Division IV playoffs to Bonita, 17-6.
The Indians lost their best player, goalkeeper Kate Wilke, to graduation. Wilke, a first-team all-league selection who is at Division I St. Francis University, broke five program records during her final season, including saves in a season (317) and career saves (591).
“Kate was just dominating, in league and in our other games,” Cook said. “To accomplish what she did is just amazing. ... She is just the type of player you can’t replace.”
With the exception of Wilke, the Indians were able to return almost all of their impact players.
“I think we have something like six of our starters back from last year,” Cook said. “Other than Kate, we didn’t lose that much at all.
“With our late start, I just think it’s going to take a little time for us to get it together. But we have some girls who have played together and I think we are going to continue to get better. We have a lot of talent, we just need to figure out the chemistry of the team a little bit.”
The lone returning first-team all-league player for Burroughs is junior driver Gwen Turla, who led the squad with 81 goals to go along with 47 steals and 12 assists. Other returning all-league players are senior set/defender Elizabeth Wrobel (26 goals, 28 steals and 14 assists) and junior hole/set Bianca Sanchez (37 goals, 13 assists and 10 steals).
Also expected to contribute for the Indians are senior attacker Dominique Silva, senior attacker Viktorya Saroyan and junior wing Cameron Flores
“In league, we are always looking to go as high as we can,” Cook said. “I expect that CV will be good like they always are, but I don’t know a lot about the other teams right now, so we will have to figure that out when we get close to league. But I’m expecting us to do well in league.”
But while Crescenta Valley was moved all the way up to Division II, Burroughs is down in Division V, where the boys’ team also resided.
BURBANK
The Bulldogs (9-13, 1-6 in league) are coming off a season in which they finished fifth in the Pacific League and didn’t quality for the CIF Division IV playoffs.
Burbank lost two key all-league players to graduation: goalkeeper Kristine Khachikian (105 saves, 27 steals and 11 assists) and attacker Stella Aghakian (29 goals and 18 assists).
“We have a lot of girls returning and all of the ones on varsity have played with me before,” Burbank Coach Allyson Young said. “They definitely know my ways and how I like to do things, so that’s always good. We do have the experience, but we just need to put it all together.”
Young said their is one component of the team that she is hoping will change.
“I think the main thing that we’re dealing with is that the girls we had on the team in years past would take control of the game and kind of do what they needed to do to get the ball in the goal and stop the other team from scoring,” she said. “But at this point, we don’t have anyone stepping up to take that role and lead us. They all kind of just look at each other and say ‘Who’s going to do it?’
“But we have a hard-working group and I think this is the first team that I’ve had where everybody is at practice every day. But I also think they’re a little too nice. This is water polo, you can be a little aggressive.”
Returning to start in goal for Burbank will be senior Clare Griffin. She will be joined by fellow returners junior hole/set Lexi Lyneis, senior drivers Cynthia Abramian and Stephanie O’Brien and junior driver Sune Aghakian.
In league, Young expects much of the same.
“I expect the same teams as always to be right up there in league,” Young said. “CV is going to be good, as well as Burroughs and Glendale. But we will have to see.”
If the Bulldogs are able to earn a playoff spot, they’ll garner a berth in Division VII, down three divisions from last season.
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Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com
Twitter: @jefftsports</p