High School Review : Burgess Is Back, and Coronado Is Stronger Than Ever in Water Polo

For the past two seasons, Valhalla High School’s water polo team has received relatively little competition from San Diego County opponents.

Last year, Valhalla breezed through its season 23-0 against county competition, eventually winning the section championship. No one came close to beating the Norsemen, with their smallest margin of victory being five goals.

But this season, Coronado, last year’s runner-up, is making a more serious run, and most say it is because of Coronado’s coach, Randy Burgess.

Burgess, as a walk-on coach, guided Coronado to section titles in 1983 and ’84 and to a second-place finish in ’82. But in 1985, he decided to coach at San Diego Mesa College.

Last spring, however, he was offered a full-time teaching position in physical education at Coronado.

“I could finally afford to coach there,” Burgess said. He replaced Vern Helmbigner, who took a job outside of coaching after last season.

Burgess’ pressence has inspired the Coronado players.

“I can’t think of anybody in Coronado who would be disappointed to see Randy come back,” said Dan Crane, Valhalla coach. “You are bringing in somebody who knows how to create a winning team.”

Coronado goalie Drew Mitchell said, “During the off-season, I didn’t know who our coach was going to be. We didn’t know where he (Burgess) would coach. Here, at Vista or at Mesa College again. But since he has been coaching us, we have come so far and we haven’t slowed down yet.”

Already, Coronado, which lost to Valhalla in the section final last season, has beaten Valhalla, 15-9, and has yet to lose to a county team. Its five losses came during two tournaments in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

But when asked to assess his team’s success, Burgess shifts the credit toward first-year starter Mitchell. Burgess said he has developed Coronado’s defense around Mitchell, calling the senior goalie the team’s quarterback.

“When the other team shoots, I try to contain the ball and look downcourt for the fastbreak, like a quarterback looking downfield for the receiver streaking down the sideline,” Mitchell said. “I think I’m like a fireman. There is a lot of boredom for me when the ball is down at the other end of the field. Then, all of a sudden, there are a few moments when the ball is in front of me and now I have all of the pressure. Those are the times I train for.”

And Coronado spends much time training. As on most teams, the players are practicing by 5 a.m. The team conducts afternoon workouts and often takes grueling runs on the soft sand along Coronado’s coastline.

Mitchell, who also plays baseball, said it is the toughest training he has experienced in any sport.

Burgess says he is an intense coach who is serious about water polo. So serious, that he plans to take his team to Hamburg, West Germany, next summer to work out with West German junior national team.

“It’s all just a motivational thing that I’m going to get them through,” said Burgess, who has taken players to Japan and Australia the past two summers.

“But I only mentioned it once to them. I’m not going to talk about it again until Nov. 22, because that’s the day after the section finals. We will definitely be there, but I’m not sure right now if we will be playing or watching.”

After the Vista football team routed Fallbrook, 50-19, two weeks ago, it appeared the Panthers would breeze past last year’s Palomar League cellar-dweller, Poway. But Poway had a 7-0 lead Friday night until the final seconds of the first half before losing, 21-7, to the defending league champions.

Vista Coach Dick Haines said it is just another sign of the balance in the Palomar League this season.

“(Poway) may be the weakest team in the league, but they play you tough,” Haines said. “Our league is so tough, you have to wait until you play everybody before you can say who is the weakest.

“This league is better (overall) than any other in San Diego County, I’ll bet my life on that.”

The Coronado football team’s 14-game winning streak, the longest currently in the county, is making things interesting for Coach Dave Tupek.

“The streak has barely remained intact,” Tupek said, pointing to Friday’s 9-6 victory over Western Christian. “I guess I have been blessed with a strong heart, and that’s exactly what I’ve needed to stay up on the sidelines.”

Coronado, the defending section 1-A champion which moved to the 2-A Metro-South Bay League this season, was held to minus one yard rushing in the second half.

“That last game, we were looking a little ahead to league play (which begins this week against defending South Bay champion Castle Park) and that really affected us,” Tupek said.

Only one of Coronado’s five victories this season has been a blowout. The Islanders beat CETYS, 35-0, two weeks ago. But its other victories have been heart-stoppers: 21-14 over Mt. Empire, 13-12 over Upper Lake and 13-12 over St. Augustine.

The 14-game streak places Coronado in a sixth-place tie in the county. Castle Park had 14 straight victories from 1968 to 1969. The longest streak in the county belongs to Sweetwater, which had 25 consecutive victories from 1983 to 1984.

“We talk about the streak,” Tupek said. “It’s no big deal. We don’t feel as if we will be jinxed for talking about it. For us, it’s a little different to be at this end of a streak.”

It must be. During Tupek’s first season at Coronado (1981), the Islanders were 0-9-1. In 1984, Coronado was 0-9, forfeiting its final game for lack of players. After that season, Coronado moved to the 1-A Mountain-Desert League.

“We’ve been down in the valley and up on the mountain tops, and the air is a lot easier to breath up here,” Tupek said. “Before (in a 2-A game), we just crossed our fingers to stay alive. Now, we feel like we can compete with the 2-A teams.”