Southern Section Water Polo : No. 1 Costa Mesa Contends for First Water Polo Title

There are no surprises in the Southern Section 2-A water polo final as No. 1-ranked Costa Mesa High School plays No. 2-ranked San Luis Obispo today at 3:30 p.m. in Long Beach’s Belmont Plaza Pool.

Costa Mesa (20-10) is making its first appearance in a water polo final. The Mustangs, who moved from the 4-A to 2-A division this season, have not lost to a 2-A opponent this year.

The Mustangs split two games with 3-A finalist El Dorado and came within a goal (8-7) of upsetting 4-A finalist Corona del Mar.

“We’ve made a 180-degree turnaround in the last couple months,” said Mike Conroy, Costa Mesa coach. “The kids are really excited now about the chance to play in the championship.

“We don’t know a lot about San Luis Obispo, but we’ve played every top team in Orange County, so I don’t think we’ll run into anything we haven’t seen before.”

The Mustangs are led by Shane Coons, Tony Litwak and Mike Kennedy. Sophomore Scott Taylor, a converted soccer goalie, starts in goal.

San Luis Obispo (25-5), the only non-Orange County team in today’s championship games, played in the Sunny Hills Tournament last month, losing all five of their games.