HIGH SCHOOL WATER POLO : CHAMPIONSHIP : Coronado Goalie Surfaces to Defeat Poway for Title

Coronado High water polo coach Randy Burgess said he’d been waiting for his junior goalie, Jack Bowen, to have a game of the spectacular variety for two years.

Burgess’ wait ended Saturday night as Bowen put on a rejection show Mark Eaton would have proud of in Coronado’s 13-8 victory over Poway in the San Diego Section title game at the Jewish Community Center.

Bowen personally turned back any hopes Poway had of dethroning the two-time champs by holding the Titans scoreless with four fourth-quarter saves.

“He’s just an incredible player,” said Bowen’s teammate Pat Mitchell, who scored three third-period goals. “What you saw in the second half was the Jack Bowen show.”

The show’s highlight came with three minutes remaining in the game and Coronado ahead, 12-8. With Bowen one-one with Poway junior Chad Aronen at point-blank range, Bowen leaped up out of the water and swatted away Aronen’s rifle shot.

“That was leg strength,” Bowen said. “That’s what lifting in the summer is all about. I visualized those kind of blocks in my room last night when I was listening to music.”

The music stopped for Poway (22-3) after they grabbed a 7-5 lead early in the third period. After the Titans led, they continually self-destructed with turnovers and missed opportunities.

And while Poway was self-destructing, Coronado (23-3) was taking advantage of nearly every scoring opportunity it had. After trailing 7-5, Poway scored four consecutive goals, including long-range bullets from Mitchell and Chris Cote.

“I was not concerned when we fell behind,” Burgess said. “Everybody was in good condition and we stayed with our game plan.”