Pound for Pound, Matthies Best

The scorebook wasn’t the only place the contributions of Marty Matthies were made to the North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake High boys’ water polo team.

His 6-foot-2 frame often displayed his most noticeable donations--the sacrifice of his body. There was the three scratch marks on his upper back, left by the desperate fingernails of an overmatched defender. The bulging welt above his right eye, which shined long after another hard-fought game. The apple-sized bruise on the back of his knee, imprinted by the heel of another gasping opponent.

Yes, defenders did pay extra attention to Matthies, but that’s part of the game. Any good two-meter player would know that.

“The two-meter man is not the scorer but the playmaker,” said Matthies, a junior. “He needs to know his job is to get other people open.”

With three players usually draped on him, a big challenge for Matthies was spotting open players and delivering accurate passes.

Matthies, The Times’ player of the year, was at his best in a Southern Section Division I semifinal game against Lake Forest El Toro, helping the Wolverines overcome a two-goal deficit with five minutes remaining to win, 11-10, in overtime. Matthies scored a season-high four goals in the game, including two in the final four minutes of regulation, but it was his passing that helped Harvard-Westlake defeat El Toro for only the second time in their last 16 meetings. Matthies’ final assist came on Eddie Berman’s game-winning goal in overtime.

“It was our best game,” Matthies said. “We gelled as a team.”

Matthies also demonstrated the ability to sustain energy throughout a game. In addition to the extra contact he absorbed, Matthies often swam from end to end, defending the two-meter position.

“He hangs in there in the long run,” said Corona del Mar junior Artie Dorr. “He was a pretty tough player.”

Opposing coaches noticed this blend of strength and skill, and voted Matthies the Southern Section Division I player of the year earlier this month.

Succeeding at the highest level is the main reason Matthies commutes 45 minutes to Harvard-Westlake from Malibu. In addition to his role as a three-year starter for the water polo team, Matthies is also a defensive specialist for the basketball team.

“I came to Harvard-Westlake to better my sports career,” said Matthies, whose mother, Nina, has been the women’s volleyball coach at Pepperdine since 1983. “It seems to be paying off. I got to the [Southern Section] finals in water polo and we have a pretty good chance in basketball.”

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THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

Final boys’ water polo rankings for 2001 season:

1. Corona del Mar (24-3,

SS-Pacific Coast)

Sea Kings captured third consecutive Division II title with double-digit victory over Esperanza.

2. Long Beach Wilson (23-7, SS-Moore)

Won school’s fifth Division I title in the last six years with a strong playoff run from a young team.

3. Harvard-Westlake (18-5, SS-Mission)

Season peaked with come-from-behind victory over El Toro in Division I semifinal.

4. El Toro (22-9, SS-South Coast)

Chargers looked like team to beat in Division I, until they ran into Harvard-Westlake.

5. Riverside Poly (28-2, SS-Ivy)

Only losses were against Corona del Mar and Servite. Came from behind to win Division V title.

6. Esperanza (16-12, SS-Sunset)

Aztecs pulled upset of season by knocking off Servite in Division II quarterfinals, then advanced to final.

7. San Clemente (18-12,

SS-South Coast)

Advanced to Division I semifinals after holding Foothill scoreless the final 16 minutes.

8. Servite (27-4, SS-Golden West)

The Friars were as high as No.1 in this poll before running into Esperanza.

9. Bonita (20-4, SS-Valley Vista)

Held top-seeded Damien scoreless in the second half to win first Division VI title in five attempts.

10. Santa Barbara (23-5, SS-Channel)

The Dons defended their Division IV title with easy victory over league rival Ventura.