Southern Section

Saturday, Nov. 22

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS

Championship

DIVISION IV

Santa Barbara 10, San Marcos 8
Tyler Wilson scored four times in a row and Santa Barbara notched five unanswered goals in one four-minute stretch to rally from a 6-5 third-quarter deficit as the Dons (23-10) won the Southern Section Division IV championship at UC Santa Barbara.

The teams were tied at 5-5 before San Marcos scored to take the lead. Wilson, however, scored twice in the last two minutes of the third quarter and two more times in the opening minute of the last quarter to give the Dons a 9-6 advantage. Teammate Tyson Perkins tacked on another goal to finish the spurt and put Santa Barbara ahead, 10-6. San Marcos registered two goals in the last 1 minute 15 seconds to account for the final score.

Wilson finished with six goals in the game, and had a school-record 172 goals for the season. Perkins had two goals in the game.

Santa Barbara, which won its third division title in four seasons after being bounced from the playoffs in the semifinals last year, also got 10 saves by goalie Johnny Gaspardis, and Stenn Parton had four steals and two assists.

Nate Hagon led San Marcos with three goals.
--Lauren Peterson

Wednesday, Nov. 19

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS

Semifinals

DIVISION I

Long Beach Wilson 10, Foothill 9
Scott Swanson scored his only goal of the game with 1 minute 21 seconds left to play to complete a fourth-quarter comeback and give second-seeded Long Beach Wilson a 10-9 victory over Santa Ana Foothill in a Southern Section Division I boys’ water polo semifinal Wednesday at Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley High.

Wilson (25-4) outscored third-seeded Foothill, 4-2, in the final quarter to secure a spot in the final against top-seeded North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (27-2), which defeated fourth-seeded Lake Forest El Toro, 10-9, in sudden-death overtime in the other semifinal at Westlake Village Westlake High. The Chargers finished 23-7.

The Division I final is 8 p.m. Tuesday at Long Beach Belmont Plaza.

Foothill (21-9) led, 8-6, with 5:56 remaining when Wilson scored three consecutive goals, capped by a Charles Wright score on a six-on-five advantage that gave the Bruins a 9-8 lead with 2:37 left.

The Kights tied the score at 9-9 with 1:36 left when Frank Reynolds, who led his team with five goals, scored on a four-meter penalty shot.

“It was hard to have a loser,” Foothill Coach Jim Brumm said. “Wilson did a great job of coming back. They were fighting for their lives.”

Swanson, Wilson’s leading scorer, missed much of the game because of foul trouble before scoring the game-winner.

“It was a low shot,” Brumm said of Swanson’s goal, “and [Foothill goalie Sandy Hohener] expected in to skip up. Sometimes the ball sometimes comes up, sometime it doesn’t. That one didn’t.”

Matt Sagehorn led the Bruins with six goals, including one that tied the score, 8-8, with 4:24 remaining. Chay Lapin had six saves in goal for Wilson.

Hohener had 13 saves for Foothill, which converted five of nine six-on-five situations and scored on both penalty shots it attempted. Wilson converted three of nine six-on-five situations and scored on its only penalty shot.
--Mike Haubrich

Harvard-Westlake 11, El Toro 10 (sudden death)
Top-seeded Harvard-Westlake is 27-2. Fourth-seeded El Toro finishes 23-7.

DIVISION II

Esperanza 8, Marina 7 (sudden death)
Los Alamitos 12, Villa Park 11 (sudden death)

DIVISION III

Peninsula 9, La Canada 5
Jimi Ogunmola and Scott Bredesen each scored three goals and John Prunckle had 12 saves in goal for Peninsula (18-9). La Canada closes 22-7.

Montebello 9, Mira Costa 7

DIVISION IV

San Marcos 12, Dos Pueblos 11
Santa Barbara 11, Santa Ynez 7

DIVISION V

Damien 8, Palm Desert 7
Grant Miller had four goals to lead host Damien (30-2), which led 7-0 in the third quarter. Adi Jerkozic had three goals for Palm Desert (24-5).

Ayala 8, Riverside Poly 7 (OT)

DIVISION VI

Bonita 17, Yucaipa 7
Los Altos 15, San Bernardino 9