Peetz Is on Guard for the Sailors : Water polo: Defense is his game and Newport Harbor is following his example.

Playing defense in water polo is largely a thankless pursuit. Except for goalkeepers, those who specialize in trying to keep the ball out of the goal don’t get much notice.

That reality, says Newport Harbor Coach Bill Barnett, leads some players to slack off when opponents have the ball. Stopping that tendency is the key to making a team better.

Barnett could have a great team on his hands and one major reason is two-meter man Mike Peetz.

Peetz is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior with a knack for defense. “Some guys are confident that they can always be dominating on offense,” Peetz said. “I think I’m more on a roller coaster, so when I don’t have a good offensive game, I concentrate extra hard on my defense.”

Peetz is having it both ways this season. He’s the Sailors’ second-leading scorer (17 goals) and his defense brings a smile to Barnett.

“In the end it’s always defense that wins the championship,” Barnett said.

For the first time in years, Newport Harbor has a good shot at challenging for the title. The Sailors have reached the Southern Section final 17 times, winning 10, in Barnett’s 29 previous seasons as coach.

Barnett, however, hasn’t taken a team to a final since 1987. The program suffered some when Barnett was concentrating on his duties as coach of the U.S. National team (he led it to a silver medal in the ’88 Olympics and fourth place in the ’92 Games) but has bounced back.

This team is a close-knit bunch of seniors. All seven starters--Peetz, Chris Seib, Chris Richardson, Mike Kelley, Bryce Schilling and goalkeeper Graham Harvey--and several reserves, work as Newport Beach lifeguards during the summer.

“They certainly have a lot of talent,” Barnett said. “But there are a whole lot of talented teams out there. We don’t know how far we are going to go.”

Peetz will play a central role. On offense, he is the primary two-meter man, which is part basketball center and part quarterback. As a left-hander, he has an advantage in 6-on-5 situations. On defense, he often guards an opponent’s best player.

He also has his mind right, which to Barnett is key.

“His general approach and understanding of what I’m trying to accomplish out here is more mature than some other players,” Barnett said.

You might think that after all the section titles and the international success, everyone would realize that Barnett’s word is gospel around the Newport Harbor pool, but occasionally there are holdouts.

Case in point: Nearly half the team was suspended for the first game of the season because they failed to obey a simple rule. Barnett asks that they have their hair cut to a two-inch length before the season starts. Barnett had a ruler measuring hair length before the Sailors’ opener against Long Beach Wilson.

Six players didn’t make the cut.

Peetz made it and played perhaps the best game, scoring five goals and guarding all-Southern Section pick Adam Wright. Despite playing without substitutes save for two lower-level players, Newport Harbor led in the third quarter, before fading to lose, 11-10, in overtime.

Peetz says Barnett’s decision to suspend the players was a sound one.

“It’s better that he did it early in the season,” Peetz said. “Now there will never be any doubt in anyone’s mind that what he says goes.

“I really admire how he thinks. I know how bad he wanted to win that game, but he still took the stand and I think it was good for the team.”

The next day, Peetz said, the six got their buzz cuts and since then, the Sailors (6-3), ranked No. 2 in the county, have been on a tear. They won four of five games at the South Coast Tournament, losing only in the final to Foothill, the top-ranked team in the county and Division I, 11-8.

Saturday, Coronado, a top San Diego Section team, beat Newport Harbor, 13-12, in overtime. Friday, the Sailors took on Riverside Poly, ranked second in Division V.

Newport was out of sync on offense, but had more steals than Riverside Poly had shots in the first half. Peetz led the Sailors with four steals as they took a 6-1 lead.

For Barnett, it was a chance for a perfect illustration: “That’s a prime example of when your offense looks like crap, if you play good defense you stay in the game.”