Sea Kings Find Own Level in Playoffs

Reaching the final of the Southern Section Division II boys’ water polo playoffs would be a dream come true for Garrett Gentry and his Corona del Mar teammates.

The second-seeded Sea Kings, who play Los Alamitos in a semifinal at 11 a.m. Saturday at Newport Harbor High, haven’t been a game away from the final since 1994. The prospects have Gentry and company excited.

Corona del Mar Coach John Vargas was disappointed when the school was moved from Division I to Division II this season, but Gentry isn’t shedding any tears.

“It’s [the playoffs] and you’re going to get good games no matter what,” he said. “Division I might be a little bit better, but I’m glad we’re here because we worked our butts off.”

Corona del Mar edged El Dorado, 7-5, in a quarterfinal game Wednesday. Gentry, who plays the two-meter position, scored twice and had two steals.

Corona del Mar (17-11) defeated Los Alamitos (21-6) in their only meeting this season.

Gentry said he would like to meet top-seeded Servite in the final. The Friars defeated the Sea Kings, 14-5, early this season.

Gentry insists his team is not looking past Saturday’s game, but admitted, “We would want a rematch” with Servite. “Especially since the last time we played them, we didn’t have our whole team,” he said. “So we would love another shot.”

Los Alamitos advanced to the semifinals with a 7-6 victory over Buena Park.

In the other Division II semifinal, Servite (23-5) will play Saddleback (25-3) at 11 a.m. Saturday at El Dorado High.

The Roadrunners, under Coach Monte McCord, are making their first semifinal appearance.

“We’re completely excited about how far we’ve advanced,” McCord said. “We’ve been working for this for four years. But I guess it shows that hard work really pays off.”

Saddleback has not played Servite this season, but McCord said he’s well aware of the talent the Friars have.

“We watched them play a couple of times, and we’ve seen how good Michael Kim, [Mike] Rustemeyer and [Dane] Jensen are. It’s going to be a tough game. But we’re going to have to try and play our game and hope that Daniel Noon and Julian Gonzalez have a good game. And if they drop on them, we have to rely on our gap.”

McCord said the gap is a nickname for team members other than the star players, Gonzalez and Noon.

“We picked it up early in the year when some people would describe our team as Gonzalez and Noon followed by a big gap. But it was the gap that has stepped it up for us and has made the difference.”

“Saddleback is one of the best-coached teams in Division II,” Servite Coach Jim Sprague said. “They have some talented players and we’ll have our hands full.”

LAST SHOT

El Toro’s senior-laden team--only Brett McCleave and Matt Fortney are juniors--will have to defeat top-ranked Newport Harbor Saturday if it wants to extend its season.

The Chargers meet the Sailors at 1 p.m. at Corona del Mar High in a Division I semifinal.

“This is it,” El Toro Coach Don Stoll said. “These guys know what they need to do. And they also know it will be a tough game.”

El Toro (25-4) defeated Villa Park, 12-6, in the quarterfinals. While the Chargers’ offense moved the ball with effective passes and good execution, it was the defense that stood out, recording 13 steals.

Newport Harbor Coach Brian Kreutzcamp said Saturday’s game will be his team’s toughest yet.

“I’ll bet my last dime this will be a one-goal game,” Kreutzcamp said. “The last game we played against them, the score was 10-9. And I don’t expect this game to be any different.

“Two things will determine the outcome of this game: the goalies and the six on five.”

Tim Birdsong, considered by many coaches to be the county’s best, will be in goal for Newport Harbor. El Toro’s Ali Khalessi, when he’s on his game, can be equally impressive.

Kreutzcamp said another major factor will be the two-meter position, where Peter Belden anchors Newport Harbor and El Toro counters with McCleave.

The Sailors (26-2) have been ranked No. 1 all season and haven’t lost to a county team. They defeated Los Angeles Loyola, 8-6, in the quarterfinals. Newport Harbor’s only losses have come against Long Beach Wilson and San Diego Coronado.

“I don’t think the team is concerned about its county record,” Kreutzcamp said. “What some people fail to realize is that Newport Harbor hasn’t been in a semifinal since 1988. We were ranked first in the county all year last year and were eliminated in the quarterfinal round.”

CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH

In the other Division I semifinal, defending champion Wilson (25-2) plays North Hollywood Harvard Westlake (21-5), which defeated San Clemente, 12-8, on Tuesday. Saturday’s game at 3:30 p.m. at Pepperdine is a rematch of last year’s championship game.

With U.S. national team member Tony Azevedo leading the way, Wilson is the overwhelming favorite to reach the final again. Wilson beat Foothill, 12-8, Tuesday.

In Division VI, Brea Olinda (20-8) beat Los Altos, 12-6, to advance to the semifinals against Rowland Heights Rowland at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College.