High School Water Polo : Crane Takes His Team on Road to Success

Dan Crane, who coached Valhalla High School to San Diego Section water polo championships in 1985 and ’86 and a third-place finish last season, left to take a full-time teaching job as well as a coaching position at University of San Diego High School this fall.

Unfortunately for Crane, a pool didn’t come with the deal.

So, Crane must take his USDHS players on the road every day . . . looking for water.

“We are nomads,” Crane said. “We practice wherever we can afford.”

USDHS does use the pool across the street at the University of San Diego, but it is available only two days a week until the middle of October. USDHS has been finding additional practice time at the La Jolla Jewish Community Center and the Miramar Naval Air Station enlisted men’s pool.

With or without its own pool, USDHS is one of several teams with a shot to break up the Coronado-Valhalla hold on the section title. The title has gone to Coronado or Valhalla the past five years, with Coronado winning in 1983, ’84 and last year.

“I think it’s going to be really competitive,” Crane said. “There is not one team that stands out.”

Crane inherited two returning starters--holeman Scott Rasmussen and junior driver Brian Clemens--and a number of talented regulars and players up from the junior varsity.

Mark Miller’s Poway team has a pool, but no section titles. However, in Miller’s 14 years at Poway, his teams have 196 victories and been in the playoffs 13 times.

“We’ve finished in the honorary fifth place so many times because we’ve lost to the eventual champion the last five years,” Miller said. “We have not been able to get over that hump. I think we have the horses this year. We have a lot of talent on the team, but whether they can play together is the question.”

Poway will be led by two three-year starters--goalie Steffan Pyle and holeman Steve Ostrom. Miller also expects junior driver Chuck Snay, who played on the junior Olympic team during the summer, to be a key player.

Monte Vista, coming back after a five-year slide, returns 11 players from a team that reached the quarterfinals last year. But no one is sure what will happen in the Grossmont League, where four teams traditionally have made the playoffs and Helix, Valhalla and Mt. Miguel are expected to challenge again.

Rancho Buena Vista advanced to the playoffs last season in its first year of varsity competition and the Longhorns return everyone.

And defending champion Coronado might contend, although nearly it roster is dominated by sophomores. Coronado, which plays as an independent, returns driver Brian Kissell, perimeter player Rob Williams and defenseman Alan Wing.

“Actually, it’s kind of an advantage (being an independent),” Coach Randy Burgess said. “I have every team that made the playoffs on my schedule. We hope to use every game we have as a growth period. I just hope we can be somewhere by the end of the season.”