PREP PLAYOFF ROUNDUP : Corona del Mar akes Out Its Frustration on Esperanza

Pity the Esperanza High School water polo team.

Not only did it have the misfortune to draw Corona del Mar in the wild card round of the Southern Section 4-A Division playoffs, but it drew a Corona del Mar team was angry just to be there.

The result was predictable if not painful: Corona del Mar won, 19-6, Wednesday at El Dorado High School.

Corona del Mar was the top-ranked team in Orange County for six weeks this season and was ranked No. 2 heading into the the playoffs. But the Sea Kings were forced to forfeit a game to University after it was noted that they had played one more game than allowed by Southern Section rules in a tournament two weeks earlier.

It cost the Sea Kings (23-4) a shot at winning outright the Sea View League championship. Instead, Corona del Mar shared the title with Newport Harbor and University and, after a determining coin flip, was seeded third from the league.

Thus, the Corona del Mar team which will next take on Sunny Hills Friday in a first-round game at Independence Park, is one that is playing with avengeance.

Corona del Mar jumped out to an 11-2 halftime lead and barely blinked after that. Ryan Weir led the charge with six goals, Brent O’Brien had five and Ted Simpkins had four for the Sea Kings.

“The coach got us pretty intense out there,” Weir said.

Was it because Corona del Mar Coach John Vargas may have been upset about the forfeit?

“He was. But it seemed like he was more mad at us,” Weir said with a smile.

To Esperanza’s credit, the team played hard throughout the game, despite the score. Josh Hetland had three goals and Mark Campagna had two for the Aztecs (10-6).