Newport Beach 10U boys earn gold at USA Water Polo Junior Olympics
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IRVINE — The Newport Beach Water Polo Club 10-and-under Blue boys fell behind early in their USA Water Polo Junior Olympics gold medal match Sunday afternoon.
It didn’t stay that way for long.
A power move at center led to a goal by Newport Beach’s Fa’amika Moala. He glanced at the fans of opponent 908 Water Polo Club and put his finger up to his lips, a signal that they should quiet down.
The play did the talking for Newport Beach, which earned an 8-6 win for the national championship. The 10U boys joined the Newport 10U girls, who had also beaten 908 for the gold medal five days prior in the first session of the Junior Olympics.
Mick Wawrzynski led Newport Beach with three goals in the gold medal match, while Ethan Tran and Moala each scored twice.
“The last two months were the best water polo we’ve played, so we’ve been super-excited for this tournament,” said Newport Beach coach Nico D’Angelo, who guided the team on an undefeated run to the title. “Throughout the whole tournament, we’ve had really, really good wins, but we were really challenged this game. 908 pushed us until the end, but we fell back on our training, we knew what we were doing and we locked in and got it done.”
Sebastian DiDia added a key goal off the bench in the second half for the winners, who also got contributions from John Gess (an assist and a steal) and Reid Crossman. Goalkeeper Curren Ellis made seven saves.
DiDia’s goal opened up an 8-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. Long Beach-based 908 responded with three straight goals, but the lead was secure.
“I think we have the best club,” Wawrzynski said. “We’re doing well on offense and defense. We don’t just have one player. The entire team can play, they can shoot.”
The Wawrzynski and Moala families both ended the Junior Olympics with three gold medals. Mick’s sisters Nova and Moss won gold with the Newport 10U and 14U girls, respectively, and his brother Ford earned bronze in the boys’ 14s.
Moala, the son of former Corona del Mar High and USC standout Jordan Anae, joined his older sisters Annabel and June as a champion.
Moala’s aunt is Tumua Anae, a CdM product who was an Olympic gold medalist for Team USA in 2012.
“I love following in my mom and my auntie’s footsteps,” Fa’amika Moala said. “Whenever they come to my games, they just teach me new things. They taught me to focus on my game, not everyone else’s. ‘Don’t focus on what they’re doing, just focus on what you’re doing and just play your game.’
“Playing center is fun. I love playing set, I love scoring, I love turning people, I love getting ejections. I also love sharing the ball, kicking it out and letting our friends score as well.”
D’Angelo credited both the Blue and White teams for the Newport Beach 10U group. The White team earned an impressive fifth place at the tournament as well.
“If you look at the 18s team, a majority of that roster was playing 10Us at Newport as well,” D’Angelo said. “These guys are able to play at such a high level at such a young age, and they grow together year after year after year. It starts compounding, and that’s why so many of our teams, both boys and girls, are so successful at every age group.”
