Water Polo: Time for a state tournament

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Newport Harbor won 11 consecutive matches to get to the point where it could avenge its only loss of the season, but in the finals Saturday at the S&R Sport Water Polo Cup, Coronado crushed the Sailors’ hopes -- again. The Islanders won the tournament with an 8-7 victory in a game pitting two of the state’s top programs.

The loss didn’t affect Newport Harbor in the Southern Section rankings, where the Sailors are still No. 1 in Division I.

But all this makes me wonder: Why isn’t there a state championship in water polo? A playoff would be a piece of cake. There are 10 sections statewide. With a few play-in games earlier in the week, a 16-team state tournament could be knocked out in a weekend at one site. Collect the best teams under one roof and let them have at it.

There were a few upsets around the county last week, which you can read about in Dan Albano’s column.

- Martin Henderson

Editor Bob: I believe there have been preliminary studies by CIF to stage state playoffs for water polo, so stay tuned.