Daily Pilot High School Athlete of the Week: Pike plays big in goal for Breakers

Before high school, you wouldn’t see Gordon Pike between the pipes in a water polo goal.

Pike spent most of his free time playing games, but they were of the video variety.

“Going into eighth grade, I was just a huge gamer,” Pike said. “I was playing Xbox all the time ... I would probably play like five hours a day, and I wasn’t in the best shape, too. Then my mom bribed me with money to play water polo.”

Elaine wanted her oldest child to get out of the house more. He struggled with water polo at first, until one day the 14-and-under club goalie quit.

“As a joke, I asked my coach if I could mess around and be goalie,” Gordon Pike said. “He thought I was serious and wanted to be the goalie.”

Pike actually picked up the position fairly quickly. He found it as much fun blocking the ball as it was blasting online enemies in a video game.

Now Pike is a senior goalie for the Laguna Beach High boys’ water polo, and in his second year as starter. He is trying to help the Breakers win the CIF Southern Section Division 2 title, after falling in the Division 3 semifinals a year ago.

It’s a more mature team this year, Pike said, with three other returning starters in senior co-captains Camden Benson and Judge Washer, plus junior Sebastian Jacobs. Laguna is the top-ranked team in Division 2 and has already notched victories against No. 2 Agoura, No. 3 Santa Margarita, No. 4 Murrieta Valley and No. 5 Long Beach Wilson.

Pike, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, already has a CIF championship ring from two years ago as a sophomore. Laguna Beach captured its third Division 3 title in five years in 2014, beating Montebello in the title game, but suffered the upset loss a year ago.

“We lost to [Capistrano Valley] last year in the [Division 3] semis,” Pike said. “We were just really cocky, and that’s honestly why I think we lost. We beat them three times before, including the summer, so we went into that game not prepared whatsoever ... I think last year we messed around a lot. This year, we’re all on the same page as a team, all trying at practice and taking the games seriously. Every single practice is preparing us for the CIF run this year. This year in Division 2 is not going to be easy at all. We have some really good competition.”

The victories over the other highly ranked teams in the division have been close, all by three goals or less. One game last week wasn’t quite as close, but Pike ended up again coming up big.

He had 14 saves as the Breakers (12-6) beat Costa Mesa, 15-4, at the Mustangs’ pool. It was the 51st straight league win for Laguna Beach, which is in the driver’s seat to capture its 11th straight Orange Coast League title. The Breakers improved to 3-0 in league with Wednesday’s 14-4 win over Godinez.

“We definitely had pride [against Costa Mesa], but I think pride is what led us to our downfall last year,” Pike said. “I think we go into every game the same way now, knowing we have to play our best in order to win. I think that’s what we did. We showed it when we went up [5-0] in the first quarter. At the same time, we stopped playing our hardest, and they scored three goals right after that. You just can’t stop working.”

Pike had another big game the next day at the Breakers’ pool. He tied his season high with 15 saves as the Breakers edged Dana Hills, 9-8, in overtime. He said he had fun with that game, as he is former club teammates with many of the Dolphins players.

Pike has continued to perform all season. He had 174 saves coming into this week, which ranks him fifth in Orange County. He is averaging nearly 11 saves per game.

Laguna Beach Coach Trevor Lyle has been around Pike for a while, before this year as an assistant. Lyle knows the importance of defense, as he was a defender for the Breakers before graduating in 2002.

“I’ve always thought he’s been a very good goalie when the shooter is within five meters,” Lyle said. “I always thought he had a very quick reaction and read the ball well in that area. In the past, the perimeter shooting, he’s found himself out of position, but I think he’s getting a better feel for where he is in the cage this year. It’s definitely shown by the games that he’s had, the double-digit [save] games.”

The Breakers will be challenged this weekend at the North-South Challenge, hosted by Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton. Laguna begins its final regular-season tournament Friday against Miramonte, which finished sixth in last weekend’s S&R Sport Tournament. A win, and the Breakers could face Los Angeles Loyola, which is ranked No. 8 in Division 1.

Laguna Beach also could see Agoura again up north.

“It’s a strong tournament,” Lyle said. “We’re definitely going into this weekend thinking that we need to execute and play well to maintain our No. 1 ranking [in Division 2], which we’d like to have going into CIF.”

Pike also wants the Breakers to head into the postseason with momentum. Then, he wants to add to his CIF championship ring collection.

“I do have a ring, which is pretty cool,” he said. “It was sick, but I just felt since I didn’t play in any games, I have a ring that I didn’t really deserve. This year, we have a chance of winning again, and I can get my own ring that I actually fought for.”

Gordon Pike

Born: June 14, 1999

Hometown: Aliso Viejo

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 155 pounds

Sport: Water polo

Year: Senior

Coach: Trevor Lyle

Favorite food: Mexican food

Favorite movie: “Star Wars”

Favorite athletic moment: Any time he can stop a “one-on-nobody” as a goalie.

Week in review: Pike had 14 saves in a key 15-4 Orange Coast League win at Costa Mesa on Oct. 5, then tied a season-high with 15 saves in a nonleague overtime win against Dana Hills on Oct. 6.