Boys’ Water Polo Preview: Crescenta Valley, Hoover set to battle for league supremacy
Though the Crescenta Valley High boys’ water polo team is the defending Pacific League champion, coach Jan Sakonju isn’t treating it that way.
Crescenta Valley topped Hoover, 8-5, in the league’s tournament championship match to win its second consecutive title. While the Falcons bring back some key players, the hungry Tornadoes return the bulk of their squad in their bid to knock the Falcons from atop the perch.
“The way I see it, Hoover is the favorite,” said Sakonju, who received All-Area Boys’ Water Polo Coach of the Year honors after leading second-seeded Crescenta Valley to an appearance in the CIF Southern Section Division IV championship match against top-seeded Righetti. “They return everybody and have a deep lineup, plus they have an excellent coach in Kevin [Witt].
“We’re just hoping to be able to put things together, so that we are in position to try to take the league championship by the end of the season. Our guys want to hold on to it, but it’s definitely going to be a challenge to repeat.”
Crescenta Valley, which made its first trip to the finals after winning a Division VI title in 2008, shared the league championship with Glendale in 2014. The Falcons will bring back senior utility Reagan Hesse and senior driver Brandon Fernandez after they finished with 81 and 58 goals, respectively, last season. Hesse earned All-Area and All-CIF accolades and Fernandez received All-CIF recognition.
“It’s a big plus having Reagan and Brandon back,” Sakonju said. “We know that we’ll need the others to chip in for us to have a chance.”
Hesse and Fernandez will be joined by junior goalkeeper Hakop Artsvelian, junior driver David Komjathy, junior hole/set Kurtis McNevin and sophomore driver Bodoe Wyss.
Hoover reached the quarterfinals last season before falling to El Segundo. The loss left Hoover looking ahead to the prospect of battling with Crescenta Valley for the league’s top spot.
Witt, who shared the league’s coach of the year honor with Sakonju last season, said the Tornadoes are ready to begin play.
“It’s pretty exciting right now,” Witt said. “We have a lot of seniors and good balance. We were also able to add some more pieces to the lineup and there’s a lot of energy.
“I have no doubt we can be in position to win league. Without a doubt, it’s the most talented team I’ve had here. There’s a lot to do and I feel like we have players who can compete at the highest level.”
Hoover will have senior attackers Harout Ashkharian, Aren Sukiasyan and Levon Gukasyan, senior two-meter Levon H. Gukasyan and senior goalkeeper Jonathan Salandi back in the fold. The Tornadoes can also turn to sophomore attacker David Ashkharian and sophomore two-meter Jordan Corpuz to provide depth.
Harout Ashkharian finished with 106 goals to earn All-Area and All-CIF recognition. Levon H. Gukasyan added 42 goals to pick up All-CIF honors. Sukiasyan and Salandi were bestowed with All-Area and All-CIF accolades after registering 56 goals and 287 saves, respectively.
The CIF Southern Section office unveiled its playoff groupings for the 2016 fall season in June, leading to Crescenta Valley and Hoover moving to Division II with accomplished programs such as Agoura, JSerra, Long Beach Wilson, Villa Park, Laguna Beach, Dos Pueblos, Los Alamitos and Murrieta Valley.
“It will be flattering to be a part of Division II,” Sakonju said. “There are some great teams who have coaches with longevity.”
Said Witt: “It will be a big challenge to be in Division II and it’s going to be a big opportunity to see how we stack up against a lot of top teams.”
Flintridge Prep will attempt to win its third consecutive league championship. The Rebels split it with rival Chadwick in 2014 before winning it outright last season under coach Dan Hare. Flintridge Prep is 19-1 in league over the last two seasons.
“We are definitely ready to go,” said Hare, whose team lost in the second round of Division IV play to Righetti. “It’s just a matter of being able to work together and be smarter.
“We have a lot of guys who have a high water polo IQ. We have a lot of depth in case we need to plug in a hole or two. I think we can win league again and our guys know what it will take, but we will get some good competition from Chadwick and Brentwood.”
Flintridge Prep, which will remain in Division IV, return junior driver Kasen Barraclaugh, senior hole/set Scott Fordham, senior utility Evan Havunjian. Barraclaugh picked up All-Area and All-CIF recognition after posting 63 goals and 54 steals last season.
Also in the mix for the Rebels are junior utilities Sami Chmait and Aidan Schraeder, junior defenders Ian Tien and Harry Burke, sophomore driver Ryan Huntley and junior goalkeeper Conrad Oakes.
Glendale struggled last season under first-year coach Narek Vardanian, missing out on the playoffs following an amazing run that culminated with a Division V championship in 2013. The Nitros, who compete in the Pacific League, will look to turn things around in their first season in Division VII after previously being in Division IV.
Glendale will turn to senior driver Liam Graham, junior driver Vachik Gharibyan, junior utility Nich Schmitt and sophomore utility Hike Pashaian to get back on track.
“We have some numbers, so we are looking pretty good after starting practice a little bit earlier,” Vardanian said. “We also have some new players who are still learning.
“We have to go out there with a plan and be able to execute at both ends in order to be successful.”
The area will welcome a new team on to the pool deck.
St. Francis will begin its first season at the varsity level. The Golden Knights, who fielded a junior varsity squad last season, will be a freelance team for at least this season under coach Brady Lowdermilk.
Lowdermilk said evaluations will be ongoing for a squad that will go up against elite teams like Hoover, Crespi and others.
“We might struggle at times and we have guys who are new to the game,” Lowdermilk said. “I just want to see progress being made at practice and in the games. I’d like to see them put up a good fight so we can see how close we are to being ready to get to the next level.”
St. Francis’ core players will likely be senior driver Elijah Havens, senior hole/set Aidan Marick, sophomore Maclean Ireland and freshman goalkeeper Cole Marston.
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Charles Rich, charles.rich@latimes.com
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
