Water Polo ’94 : PREVIEW : Crowley Is a Hit in Second-Favorite Sport

Chris Crowley doesn’t remember when he first scored 11 goals in a water polo game, tying the Notre Dame High record.

He doesn’t remember the second time he did it, either.

Or the third.

Crowley is a baseball player who spends his free time in a pool, firing yellow balls into nets. In two-plus varsity seasons, he’s done it 288 times, another school record. But water polo still is his second love.

“Baseball is my favorite sport,” said Crowley, a senior. “I think I’d rather play baseball in college. That’s where you can go somewhere. In water polo, you can’t go anyplace.”

Although he has played baseball his whole life, he didn’t discover water polo until eighth grade, and it seemed to come naturally to him. Crowley was introduced to the sport by Blazs Pongracz, a former member of the Hungarian national team who was dating Crowley’s older sister.

“He was coaching a team and he wanted me to come down and watch,” Crowley said. “I really liked it.”

Pongracz worked with Crowley for two years--until he stopped seeing Crowley’s sister--but apparently, that was enough. Crowley split his freshman season between the varsity and junior varsity at Notre Dame. He has played varsity full-time since 1992, and last year scored 137 goals, a school record. He already has 12 goals just two matches.

“He’s a very natural athlete, so he’s very easy to coach,” Notre Dame Coach John Hirn said. “You tell him what you need him to do and he figures it out pretty quick.”

Other coaches in the Mission League also keep Crowley in mind when preparing for the Knights.

“He’s a good player,” Harvard-Westlake assistant Eric Mandel said. “I think highly of him.”

So do baseball coaches.

Crowley, an outfielder and first baseman, hit .319 last spring for Notre Dame, which advanced to the Southern Section semifinals.

Over the summer, he played American Legion baseball and batted .500 in 48 at-bats. In August, he was chosen by professional scouts to play in the Area Code Games, a showcase for many of the West’s top high school players.

The Area Code games are often the ticket to a college scholarship, which Crowley will pursue this spring. Another goal is a Mission League water polo championship, a possibility because four starters return from last year’s team.

As for personal accomplishments in water polo, Crowley said he is missing only one:

“I never could get that 12th goal.”

Teams to watch:

Harvard-Westlake--The Wolverines, who have won two Southern Section titles, remain the region’s most dominant team. Of course, what would you expect with U.S. Olympic water polo Coach Rich Corso doubling as Harvard’s coach? This year’s team will be led by senior Jimmy Duff and junior Albert Won, both selected 17-and-under All-Americans this summer.

Among the younger players to watch is junior J.J. Arden, who was a 15-and-under All-American.

Harvard finished 25-3 last year, losing, 7-5, to San Clemente in the Division I quarterfinals.

Crescenta Valley--Despite the loss of two All-Southern Section players from last year’s 20-5 team, the Falcons return four all-league players and appear to be contenders for a section title.

Crescenta Valley, ranked third in the preseason Division III poll, is led by junior Joey Bennett, who will start for the third year. Junior Jon Conrad, an excellent defender, and seniors Eddie Kim and Brian Haley will help run the Falcons’ high-speed attack.

Royal--Highlander Coach Steve Snyder says Agoura is the favorite to end Royal’s streak of 13 consecutive Marmonte League titles. “This is going to be a real tentative group for us because we only have a few kids back,” Snyder said.

Senior Randy Owens, junior Bill Bruininga and junior Kris Kunkel are the top players for Royal, which was ranked third in the preseason Division IV poll.

Agoura--The Chargers’ optimism stems from the return of four starters, led by Chris Driscoll, whose 62 goals led the Marmonte League last year. Harvey Wilford is one of the fastest swimmers in the league.

Buena--Although the Bulldogs were ranked fourth in the Division IV preseason poll, that made them only the third-best team in the Channel League--behind No. 1 Santa Barbara and No. 2 San Marcos.

Buena’s top players are senior Jeff Malas, junior Matt Swartout and junior goalie Curtis Tolmie.

Notre Dame--The Knights return all significant players from a team that finished fourth last season in the Mission League. Besides Crowley, Notre Dame will rely on 6-foot-4 defensive specialist Theo SmitsvanOyen.

Crespi--Seniors Mike Scarcelli, Bennan Bakke and David Brea are returning starters from a team that was 17-7 last year. The Celts usually give their best efforts of the season against Harvard, and this year they might have the talent to come away with a victory.

Glendale--The Dynamiters were 9-13 last year, but leading scorer Gilbert Abramyan and sophomore goalie Edvin Saakyan, who was selected all-league last year, are back.

Westlake--Although the Warriors might not have enough depth to surpass Agoura or Royal in the Marmonte League, they do have one player the whole league fears--David Block.

Block, a 6-foot-2 senior, played this summer on the 16-and-under Southern Pacific All-Star team that traveled to Hungary. He also competed with the 17-and-under junior national team that played in Greece.