Naeve’s Navy Tries to Repeat in Tournament at Annapolis

No team in the region is traveling farther for a victory this season than La Canada High, which is playing in the U.S Naval Academy tournament in Annapolis, Md., this weekend.

Each of the 22 players making the trip paid their way. They are being housed free in student dormitories.

“It’s a way to have some fun, see a college and not [pay] a million dollars to do it,” Coach Larry Naeve said.

“[And] it’s a good chance for some of those [East Coast] college coaches to see some of our guys that they otherwise wouldn’t see.”

La Canada, making the trip for the second consecutive year, is the defending champion.

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As if Crescenta Valley needed any extra motivation in an already storybook season, the Falcons (18-1) have it now since Coach Pete Loporchio announced he is resigning.

That’s assuming the Falcons want to send Loporchio out on a winning note.

Loporchio, who has guided the boys’ swimming and water polo teams to seven consecutive Pacific League titles, said he will resign his coaching positions at the end of the school year to spend more time at home with his family.

The Falcons reached the Southern Section Division III quarterfinals in water polo and were Division II champions in swimming last season.

The boys’ water polo team has twice advanced to the Division III semifinals under Loporchio, who started the girls’ water polo program at Crescenta Valley and guided that team to a league title in his only season as coach.

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The adage that claims, “To be the best, you have to play the best,” isn’t lost on Coach Rich Corso of Harvard-Westlake.

The Wolverine’s schedule is the toughest in region. By design.

“[We’re] trying to get into position to be in position for the playoffs,” Corso said. “And we have some big games left.”

Monstrous is a better word.

Harvard-Westlake, which has lost to ranked teams Los Alamitos and San Clemente of the Southern Section, and Coronado of the San Diego Section, played defending Division I champion Long Beach Wilson on Saturday.

There’s a rematch with San Clemente next week, followed by an invitational Oct. 29-30 in Northern California, which features the top 16 teams in California.

Six days before the playoffs, the Wolverines will brush up with a rematch against Los Alamitos.

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Notre Dame is close to equaling a school record for victories in a season.

The Knights, who didn’t make the playoffs last year, are 14-5 and hoping to break the school record of 18 victories set in 1997.

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Coach Joe Abing of Ventura was able to find a silver lining in a 7-5 loss to Bonita, ranked No. 2 in Division VI, this week.

The Cougars, ranked No. 2 in Division IV, played without their star, 6-foot-4, 190-pound two-meter player Mike Derse, who takes a college class on Thursday nights.

“It was actually good because [Bonita] ran a defense that we were not used to,” Abing said. “And . . . my team learned anyone on the team could get injured or whatever at any time and we still have to play.

“Any time you lose a game, you hope you learn from it to get better.”

The Top 5

Rankings of region water polo teams

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RK School Rec. 1 Harvard-Westlake 11-3 2 Crescenta Valley 18-1 3 La Canada 13-3 4 Burroughs 17-3 5 Ventura 10-2

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