Crescenta Valley girls’ water polo standouts nab All-CIF honors
Throughout the season, the Crescenta Valley High girls’ water polo team counted on an experienced trio to lead the charge.
The Falcons got that and more from Alex Garas, Kaitlyn Moguel and Lexie Kawachi in winning a ninth straight Pacific League championship.
The trio provided Crescenta Valley with another stellar season and was honored for its work after earning All-CIF Southern Section Division III recognition. The CIF Southern Section office released first teams across all seven divisions on Monday.
“Their hard work paid off in a lot of ways and they gave us a lot of options during games,” said Crescenta Valley coach Ricky Mulcahey, whose team finished 24-5, 8-0 in league and reached the first round of the playoffs. “There are a lot of excellent players out there and it’s awesome to see Alex, Kaitlyn and Lexie be honored like that.”
Garas was a first-team selection, Moguel made the second squad and Kawachi notched a spot on the third team.
Garas, a junior utility, finished with 58 goals, 45 assists and 69 steals despite missing significant time with an injury.
It marked the third straight season Garas has been bestowed with All-CIF honors.
“A lot of people know about Alex from the club level of water polo,” Mulcahey said. “She showed the coaches [in the division] what she could do at the high school level and she’s got that ability to make a big play on offense or defense.”
Moguel, a senior utility, had an impressive campaign that included a team-high 83 goals, 107 steals and 53 assists.
“Kaitlyn worked her tail off and led us in almost every statistic,” Mulcahey said. “She always carried herself well and had that drive to get that much more better.”
Kawachi recorded 44 goals, 44 steals and 33 assists as a sophomore attacker.
“With Lexie, she figured out what she needed to do to be successful,” Mulcahey said. “She found her role and was able to contribute at both ends.”
Crescenta Valley lost to Corona Santiago, 12-8, in the playoffs.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
