Harvard Bids Again for Title in Water Polo

The Harvard High water polo team gets its chance at redemption today at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

One year and 2 days removed from their loss in last year’s Southern Section 2-A Division final, the Saracens finally will have another shot at the title. Harvard (26-3), the division’s No. 1 team from the outset, will play La Serna at 4 p.m.

Harvard, guided by third-year Coach Rich Corso and led by drivers Damon Willick and Justin Cheen and goalie Larry Bercutt, has had but one goal this fall: to be Southern Section champion.

“Life will go on if we don’t win the title,” Willick, a senior, said. “But not happily.”

Has this put too much pressure on the team?

“The kids want it,” Corso said. “They want it more than anything right now. I think they put more pressure on themselves than I can.”

La Serna Coach Jeff Hohne believes that he has somewhat of an edge. It is, however, the same edge Corso thought he had last season before Harvard lost to Costa Mesa, 16-7, in the final.

La Serna (22-8), the second-place team in the Whitmont League, is remarkably similar to last year’s Harvard team. Both were ranked sixth entering the playoffs; both knocked off the tournament’s second- and third-seeded teams; both advanced as far as the semifinals for the first time; and Hohne, as was Corso last year, is just happy to be here.

“Even if we get beat a hundred to nothing, it’s gravy,” Hohne said.

The Saracens are not completely foreign to Hohne: La Serna was upset by Harvard, 9-7, in last season’s quarterfinals.

“We’re up against a very, very good team,” Hohne said. “Harvard would probably be a CIF finalist in the 3-A and probably a semifinalist, at least, in the 4-A. We’re definitely the underdog, which is nice, because that’s the way it’s been all tournament.”

The Lancers upset third-seeded San Luis Obispo, 13-10, in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Mira Costa, 12-11, in the semifinals.

In 4 playoff games, meanwhile, Harvard has outscored 4 opponents, 64-15. Cheen has a team-high 17 goals; Willick has 16.

“I told the kids Saturday, ‘Listen, we’ve been ranked No. 1 all year, you’ve read the paper, you’ve seen that we must win this game, so approach this game like we’re playing the Russians,’ ” Corso said. “If they approach this game with that kind of intensity, they’ll be OK.”