Water Polo Titles on the Line This Week

The regular-season water polo titles in the Orange Empire and South Coast conferences will be decided this week.

The South Coast Conference showdown is at 7 p.m. Friday, when Golden West, the state’s top-ranked team, takes on No. 2-ranked Long Beach.

Golden West is 23-3, 4-0 in conference, and Long Beach is 21-5, 4-0. Friday’s matchup will not be unique, though.

The teams already have met four times this season, including Saturday in the championship of the Cypress Tournament.

Golden West won that game, 14-8. The Rustlers also beat Long Beach, 12-11, in the title game of the Cuesta Tournament and, 9-7, in the title game of the Golden West Tournament.

Long Beach beat Golden West, 9-7, in pool play of the UC San Diego JV Tournament two weeks ago.

But Friday’s game could be the first of as many as four more between the teams. They could play in the South Coast Conference tournament, Southern California playoffs and State championship.

The Orange Empire Conference title will be decided at 3:30 p.m. today at Orange Coast when the Pirates play host to Grossmont.

Orange Coast (16-3-1) comes in with a 5-0 mark in the conference. The Pirates are ranked sixth in the state. Grossmont (22-7, 4-0) is ranked fourth.

This is the final conference game for OCC, but Grossmont ends the regular season at Rancho Santiago at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

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300 Flip: Saddleback Coach Flip Darr got his 300th victory Friday when the Gauchos beat College of the Desert, 13-8, in the Saddleback water polo tournament.

Darr, in his 21st season at Saddleback, has a mark of 301-241-1. His teams have won seven conference titles and the Gauchos were third in the state in 1988.

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Wrestling update: Rancho Santiago and Golden West, two of the state’s top-ranked teams, meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Golden West in a South Coast Conference match.

Rancho Santiago is ranked fourth and is led by David Niedringhaus at 134 pounds. Niedringhaus is ranked third in the state in his weight class. He won the Cerritos Invitational and was third at the Fresno Invitational.

Golden West’s best individual this season has been heavyweight Mike Bolster, who finished first at Cerritos and Fresno.

Rancho Santiago is sending three wrestlers and Golden West two to the North/South All-Star match Saturday at Fresno.

Niedringhaus, Shane Holloway (126 pounds) and Matt Padgett (167) will represent the Dons. Bolster and teammate Eric Gaunt (177 pounds) will take part for the Rustlers.

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Charging Chargers: The Cypress women’s soccer team has cut a wide path through the Orange Empire Conference the last 1 1/2 years. Cypress, the state’s top-ranked team, is 5-0 in conference this season.

Cypress, coached by Ray Haas, has won 17 conference games in a row over the last two seasons. The Chargers have outscored conference opponents, 80-4, the last two seasons.

Lori Van Herk, a freshman from Kennedy High School, leads Cypress with seven goals and four assists in five conference games this season.

Notes

Palomar (6-0) remains the top-ranked football team in the Southland Poll. Bakersfield (6-0) is second and Long Beach (6-0) third, Cerritos (5-0-1) fourth, Los Angeles Valley (6-0) fifth, San Bernardino Valley (5-1) sixth, Mt. San Antonio (5-2) seventh, Orange Coast (4-2) eighth, Moorpark (4-2) ninth and Antelope Valley (4-2) 10th.

Orange Coast, which has won four in a row, plays host to Fullerton for its homecoming game at 7 p.m. Saturday in the county’s headline game of the week. Golden West (3-3) takes a shot at Palomar, the top-ranked team in the nation, at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at San Marcos High School.