Carcich Feeling the Pressure of Following a Legend at Villa Park

John Carcich has been coaching the Villa Park girls’ water polo team the last three years. He was also the assistant coach in boys’ varsity water polo. But it was still nerve-racking when he was asked to take over his boss’ spot as the Spartans’ head coach.

Jeff Ehrlich had been at the helm of the Villa Park boys’ water polo program for 25 years. Along with Bill Barnett of Newport Harbor, Ehrlich is considered an icon in Southern California high school water polo.

Ehrlich left Villa Park in June to be head coach of the Air Force Academy water polo team. He left Villa Park with a record of 484-171.

“Sure there’s some pressure,” Carcich said. “But any time you have a winning tradition, there’s going to be pressure. But you get used to it, and you keep going.”

Carcich, 30, played under Ehrlich at Villa Park in the mid-80s. He said Ehrlich was one of his heroes and, along with Pepperdine Coach Jim McMillen, was a big influence in his coaching career.

“Our coaching styles are similar,” said Carcich, describing his and Ehrlich’s approach to the game. “But I still have my own style of coaching.”

Although Carcich has nothing but respect for Ehrlich, he wanted to make it clear to his team that it’s not a coach’s winning tradition they’ll be carrying on, but their school’s tradition.

Carcich said he will continue to coach girls’ water polo, plus boys’ and girls’ swimming in the spring.

“It’s nonstop,” said Carcich, who admits his single status is maybe a result of his never-ending aquatic job. “Maybe I’ll find a woman who will put up with all this . . . I don’t know.”

Though he’s happy in his new position, Carcich said he misses his friend and mentor.

“Our classrooms were next to each other,” said Carcich, who teaches math. “We were pretty close. I still talk to him on the phone. And when he was down here a couple of weeks ago when Air Force was playing in San Diego, John Kulisich, the assistant coach, and I went down to see him.

“Jeff will always be part of Villa Park. I hopefully will carry on where he left off and keep Villa Park a water polo power.”

BIG WIN FOR SAILORS

It had been a long time since Newport Harbor had beaten Long Beach Wilson. Four years, to be exact. But the Sailors managed to pull off what no other Orange County team had been able to do in the last two years.

In a thrilling game at Newport

Harbor, the Sailors defeated the Bruins, 11-10, in sudden-death overtime.

However, before the cannons fire and the band starts to play, it should be noted that Long Beach Wilson was without its star player, Tony Azevedo.

Newport Harbor Coach Brian Kreutzkamp is the first to admit the team the Sailors beat Tuesday was much different than the team they’ll meet in November.

Nevertheless, it was a big victory.

Wilson is ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section Division I poll. Newport Harbor, ranked first in county polls, is third in Division I.

“Obviously, Wilson is a different team without Azevedo,” Kreutzkamp said. “But even without Tony, they’re a great team. So our win was a big confidence-builder. When you beat Wilson, it’s big.”

Azevedo, the nation’s top high school water polo player, is on a leave of absence from Wilson as he travels with the U.S. national team. According to Wilson’s new coach, Tony Martinho, Azevedo should be back in mid-October.

“It’s nice to go into a game as the underdog,” Kreutzkamp said. “We had nothing to lose but everything to gain. We were able to let loose and play with some abandon.”

Kreutzkamp called the Sailors’ overtime victory a team effort, but said the play of senior Peter Belden was a big factor.

“Peter played a fantastic game,” said Kreutzkamp, noting Belden’s perfect pass to Brendan Hanson, who scored the game-winner in overtime. “It was a physical game. There were lots of ejections for both teams. But Peter played the entire game. And to play that much, in such a physical game, is very tough.”

Belden and Ryan Cook each scored three goals for Newport Harbor.

Martinho, who left Los Alamitos after six seasons (including a Division I title) to coach Wilson, said Newport Harbor is a tough team, but . . . “We didn’t have Tony and we have only two returning starters.”

Martinho stressed he didn’t want to take anything away from the Sailors’ victory. “It was a very good game. Our kids played well, and theirs did too.”

ALL-AMERICANS

El Toro senior Trevor McMunn was selected to the fourth team of the 1999 National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Assoc.All-American team. Pat Logan, a senior from Foothill, was a fifth-team pick. Both were selected based on their play during their junior seasons.

Graduated seniors Jeff Larson of Marina and Nick Pacelli of Villa Park were first-team selections. Eitan Golstein of Foothill and Jeffrey Lloyd of El Toro were on the second team.