Golden West Will Go After Another State Water Polo Title

Golden West goes for its eighth consecutive state men’s water polo title starting Friday at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

Golden West (30-2) has the best record of any team in the field but is seeded third because the Rustlers finished third in the Southern California tournament last weekend.

Golden West, coached by Ken Hamdorf, opens the tournament at 11:45 a.m. against Diablo Valley (19-10-2).

In the other first-round games: West Valley (24-5) plays Grossmont (24-5-3) at 8 a.m., Citrus (27-6-1) takes on Merced (19-8) at 9:15 a.m. and Long Beach (27-6-2) and Modesto (16-11-1) play at 10:30 a.m.

The semifinal games are at 6 and 7:15 p.m. Friday and the title game is at 8:20 p.m. Saturday.

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Same place, different time: The Golden West women’s water polo team is also in the state tournament, which also is at Belmont Plaza.

Merced (25-1) plays Golden West (18-12-2) at 1 p.m. and Rio Hondo (23-0-1) takes on Grossmont (22-3) at 2:15 p.m. Friday. The title game is at 7:10 p.m. Saturday.

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Big week: Rancho Santiago, the defending state champion in men’s soccer, has a firm grip on the Orange Empire Conference title chase. The Dons are 13-1-2 overall and 8-0-1 in conference but play their two closest pursuers this week.

Fullerton (9-6-2, 5-3) hosts the Dons today and Irvine Valley (12-6-3, 5-3-1) is at Rancho Santiago Friday.