Golden West-Long Beach Water Polo Battle Heats Up

Golden West and Long Beach, which have spent the past three weekends battling one another for various water polo titles, could resume the struggle Saturday in the championship game of the Southern California Regional tournament at Long Beach Belmont Plaza.

Golden West (27-1), the two-time defending state champion, is the top-seeded team in the regional tournament, which features quarterfinal and semifinal play Friday at Belmont Plaza. The Rustlers defeated Long Beach, 12-8, Saturday to win the South Coast Conference tournament title.

Long Beach (27-4), which is seeded second in the regionals, has lost four of five meetings with the Rustlers this season.

Long Beach defeated Golden West, 12-11, on Oct. 25 to win the South Coast Conference’s regular-season title, but Golden West won, 4-3, in overtime on Oct. 19 to win the Cypress Tournament.

The Rustlers also beat Long Beach, 14-7, on Oct. 3 to take the Golden West Tournament. In their first meeting of the season Sept. 14, Golden West won, 9-3, in the semifinals of the Cuesta Tournament.

Orange Coast (25-6) beat Grossmont, 13-12, in overtime to win the Orange Empire Conference’s tournament title and earn the No. 3 seed in the regional tournament. Grossmont (24-8) is seeded fourth.

The top four teams receive byes, while eight others will take part in first-round games at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Mt. San Antonio (14-10-1) is at Cypress (26-8), Fullerton (18-15) is at Cuesta (18-9-2), Citrus (26-8) is at Cerritos (8-13), and Los Angeles Valley (17-8-3) is at Chaffey (23-10-1).

The four winners join Golden West, Long Beach, Orange Coast and Grossmont in the regional tournament.

Friday’s quarterfinals start at 9:30 a.m. and the semifinals at 6 p.m. Saturday’s title game is at 7:30 p.m.

Cypress has set a school single-season record for victories, and Ray Schwengel set the Chargers’ single-season scoring record with 129 goals.

Interceptions: In the Gauchos’ 22-21 victory over Orange Coast Saturday, Saddleback quarterback Tim Snowden threw five passes that were intercepted, one short of the conference record set by Braulio Castillo of San Diego City against Citrus in 1985.

Snowden’s five interceptions came in the first half. But in the second half he completed four of seven passes for 56 yards.

Snowden has had 15 passes intercepted in 115 attempts this season, but he also has thrown 14 touchdown passes and led Saddleback to a 6-1 record.

In contrast to Snowden’s numbers, the Gauchos’ best statistics belong to Howard Gasser. In 1987, Gasser threw only three passes that were intercepted while completing 148 of 254 for 2,264 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Fullerton’s John Mountain, a sophomore fullback from Anaheim High School, is expected to miss the rest of the season with a pinched nerve in his neck. Mountain had gained 543 yards in six games.

Mountain first hurt his neck Oct. 5 against Pasadena and it has gotten worse each week. He didn’t play Saturday in Fullerton’s 24-14 victory over Golden West.

Fullerton is also without the full-time services of tailback Brian Williams (sprained ankle). He was leading the conference in rushing after the first four weeks, but had been limited to 36 yards in 16 carries in the past two games.

Williams has 694 yards in 117 carries this season and is second in the conference in rushing behind Cerritos’ Darrell Thompson (850 yards).

Scott Campbell won’t play basketball at Golden West this season because of an irregular heart beat, Rustler Coach Jim Greenfield said. Campbell is being listed as a medical redshirt but his future in the game is uncertain.

Campbell was a first-team All-Orange County player at La Quinta High School in 1989, when he averaged a county-best 28.9 points. He signed with Cal State Fullerton, but was academically ineligible and never played for the Titans.

He then transferred to Golden West, where he averaged 18 points last season.

Football Poll: Palomar (7-1) continues to lead the weekly Southland Poll. Saddleback (6-1) is second, Moorpark (6-1) third, Santa Barbara (6-1) fourth, Fullerton (5-2) fifth, Los Angeles Southwest (5-1-1) sixth, Orange Coast (5-2) seventh, Pasadena (5-2) eighth, Antelope Valley (7-1) ninth and Cerritos (5-2) 10th.

Prep Polls

FOOTBALL

Orange County Sportswriters’ Assn.

Pos. School (League) Record 1. Esperanza (Empire) 8-0 2. Valencia (Orange) 8-0 3. Mater Dei (Angelus) 8-1 4. Tustin (Sea View) 8-0 5. El Modena (Century) 8-0 6. Garden Grove (Garden Grove) 8-0 7. Capistrano Valley (South Coast) 5-3 8. Rancho Alamitos (Garden Grove) 7-0-1 9. Buena Park (Freeway) 7-1 10. Dana Hills (South Coast) 5-1-2

Others receiving votes: Irvine (6-2), Brea-Olinda (6-2) and Servite (6-2).

GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL

Orange County Coaches Assn. Top 10

Records as of Monday

Pos. School (League) Record 1. Laguna Beach (Pacific Coast) 15-2 2. Mater Dei (Angelus) 14-4 3. El Toro (South Coast) 12-3 4. Capistrano Valley (South Coast) 12-4 5. Corona del Mar (Sea View) 10-7 6. El Modena (Century) 18-2 7. Newport Harbor (Sea View) 15-4 8. La Habra (Freeway) 15-2 9. Sunny Hills (Freeway) 12-2 10. Valencia (Orange) 12-1

Others receiving votes: Calvary Chapel, Cypress, Edison, Fountain Valley, Irvine, La Quinta, Los Alamitos, Marina, Orange, Santa Margarita, University, Whittier Christian and Woodbridge.

WATER POLO

Orange County Coaches Assn. Top 10

Records as of Monday

Pos. School (League) Record 1. Corona del Mar (Sea View) 22-2 2. Capistrano Valley (South Coast) 20-4 3. San Clemente (South Coast) 21-3 4. Newport Harbor (Sea View) 17-6 5. El Toro (South Coast) 13-9 6. Villa Park (Century) 17-7 7. Tustin (Sea View) 16-8 8. Dana Hills (South Coast) 18-4 9. El Dorado (Empire) 17-7 10. (tie) Foothill (Century) 12-12 10. (tie) Sunny Hills (Freeway) 12-11