Mustangs Shoot for CIF Water Polo Title

At the beginning of the water polo season, the Mira Costa Mustangs gathered at senior Simon Kim’s house and wrote out their season’s goals: Ocean League championship, CIF championship.

Today, its one down and one to go.

Coach Mike Nollan’s Mustangs beat Culver City last Thursday to complete their league season at 8-0. They will enter the CIF 2-A playoffs today as the No. 2-seeded team. It’s Mira Costa’s sixth league championship in seven years.

Mira Costa has won 20 games and lost eight, including losses to Harvard, the top-seeded 2-A team, and Edison, a top-10 3-A team. Last season the Mustangs competed in 3-A, but Nollan doesn’t view his team’s 2-A classification as a reflection on his squad’s competitive level.

“It was just a matter of releaguing,” Nollan said. “We’ve played and beaten some top-10 3-A teams (Marina, Fountain Valley, Palos Verdes), so I wouldn’t call it a demotion.”

Ocean League coaches probably wish the Mustangs were still in 3-A. Miraleste Coach Chick McIlroy said Mira Costa is the class of the league. He should know. His second-place Marauders have lost to Mira Costa three times, twice in league play and once in a tournament.

“Redondo, Miraleste, and Culver City are on one level, and Mira Costa is a level above,” McIlroy said. “They have good-sized kids, but mostly, they have experience.”

Experience is the magic word at Mira Costa, where seven seniors have been playing together for 3 years.

“When these seven kids were sophomores, we won the league championship with one senior starter,” said Nollan, now in his seventh year of coaching at Mira Costa with Mike Maurry. “The strength of this team is that they’ve been playing together for so long.”

Goaltender Mark Hocking said the Mustangs don’t have an incredible amount of talent, but they play well because they know each other and work hard. “We really don’t have a star,” Hocking said. “But we have been playing together a long time.”

J.( Chapin says three years in the pool with the same guys pays off. “When I have the ball, I know exactly what Luke (team captain and leading goal scorer Luke Downer) is going to do.”

Assistant coach Maurry says the team’s strength lies in its unity. “They are so committed to each other and the team concept of working hard,” Maurry said. “They also have a super coach.” He said any credit due the varsity program belongs to Nollan.

Mira Costa Athletic Director Daelea Aldrich said Nollan has imbued his team with his own competitiveness. Nollan was an outstanding water polo player for USC and played on two national championship AAU teams. When his players jump in the pool and strap on the caps, they know it’s time to work.

“We mess around at practice, but it never gets too messy,” said Chapin. “When Coach Nollan talks, we listen. I’ve swum a few thousand yards of penalty laps because of talking, so I know.”

Downer said Nollan is relentless during practice. “He won’t let up on us so we won’t let up on ourselves,” he said. “Practices are sometimes monotonous and overbearing, but we won’t do it ourselves so we need Coach.”

The fun for the Mustangs comes at game time. Mira Costa plays a fast, aggressive brand of water polo. “We’re like Loyola (Marymount) University’s basketball team,” said Nollan. “We get the ball and we are long-gone down the court.” It doesn’t matter that it’s water polo, the Mustangs run over their opponents, Nollan said.

When opponents bring the ball down they face a tenacious bunch of defenders and one of Nollan’s two excellent goaltenders, Adam Griffin and Hocking. Nollan considers Hocking and Griffin equally capable so they play an equal amount of time. It’s not a matter of who starts and who is second-string, Nollan said. “One simply goes first and the other one goes second.” This year Griffin plays the first half and Hocking the second; last year it was reversed. What if the game goes to overtime? “Adam (Griffin) goes in the first overtime and Mark goes in the second, if there is one,” Nollan said.

“We truly have a unique situation, because I feel we have the two best goalies in the league,” Nollan said. He described the 6-5 inch Griffin as the classic goalie, while 5-11 Hocking is a “scrambler who somehow makes the block.” Both are equally effective on the short and deep ends of the pool.

Both goalies said they would play the whole game if given the choice but, as Hocking said, “If you’ve got two good goalies you might as well use them.”

Griffin agreed. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team, “ he said. “Besides, we always have a fresh goalie in the game.” Two weeks ago Griffin missed the El Segundo game due to a hand injury and Hocking stepped in to block 11 shots in a Mustang victory.

That type of unselfishness, Nollan says, is the true hallmark of his team. When asked who the leading scorer is, Nollan was hard-pressed to name Downer. “It all depends on what we face,” Nollan said. “If the 2-meter area is open, Luke Downer will score. If we have to shoot from outside, Tony Kim will come in and score, if we have to drive, Jason Kim (no relation) will score. If we need a power shot, J. Chapin will score. We’re a true team.”

Mira Costa plays host to Magnolia in the first round of the playoffs today at 3:15. There was some question whether the Mustangs would be the top 2-A seed because CIF officials were debating where to place Harvard. The Saracens play a free-lance schedule against teams from all divisions and have beaten several 4-A teams. On Monday the CIF announced that Harvard would be the top 2-A seed, which suits Nollan just fine. Before the announcement, Nollan said his team would like an opportunity to avenge its 5-3 loss.

“I’d like another chance to play Harvard,” Nollan said. Before they think about Harvard, however, both teams must win four playoff games to meet in the Nov. 23 final.