Water Polo Event Features Top Field

Defending champion Corona del Mar and San Clemente, the No. 1-ranked team in Orange County, will be among the favorites in the South Coast Water Polo Tournament, which starts today at four local high schools.

The 32-team tournament, which features nine of the top-10 ranked teams in the county, concludes with the championship game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Newport Harbor High School.

San Clemente (2-0), which defeated Corona del Mar in its season-opener, plays Santa Monica at 3 p.m. today at Irvine High School.

Today’s pairings:

At El Dorado: Corona del Mar vs. Crescenta Valley, 3 p.m.; Edison vs. University, 3:50 p.m.; El Dorado vs. Granite Hills, 4:40 p.m.; Sunny Hills vs. Millikan, 5:30 p.m.

At Tustin: Tustin vs. Mira Costa, 3 p.m.; Costa Mesa vs. Los Alamitos, 3:50 p.m.; Villa Park vs. Long Beach Poly, 4:40 p.m.; Riverside Poly vs. San Luis Obispo, 5:30 p.m.

At Newport Harbor: Newport Harbor vs. La Jolla, 3 p.m.; Marina vs. Mission Viejo, 3:50 p.m.; El Toro vs. Buena Park, 4:40 p.m.; Poway vs. Santa Barbara, 5:30 p.m.

At Irvine: San Clemente vs. Santa Monica, 3 p.m.; Irvine vs. Fullerton, 3:50 p.m.; Fallbrook vs. Long Beach Wilson, 4:40 p.m.; Foothill vs. Dos Pueblos, 5:30 p.m.

Note: First-round winners will play a second game at 6:20 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. tonight.