Boys’ Water Polo Preview: Hoover seeks to rule Pacific League waters again
Over the last few seasons, the Hoover High boys’ water polo team has proven it can hold its own with many of the top area foes and prominent teams throughout the CIF Southern Section.
The Tornadoes have had a recent stranglehold on the Pacific League. Hoover has won two of the past three league titles, including last season, and was the school’s only program to make it to the postseason during the 2018-19 campaign.
Hoover, Glendale, Crescenta Valley and Flintridge Prep made postseason appearances in 2018, while building St. Francis saw its bid for a playoff spot fall short.
Here is a closer look at the teams.
HOOVER
With a surplus of depth, Hoover figures to be in the hunt for a third league championship in the last four years. The Tornadoes will have a few key returners and a mix of sophomores looking to keeping them atop the perch.
“We definitely will have a large group of players and it’s just about them going out there and being able to find their roles,” Hoover coach Kevin Witt said. “It will help them be able to succeed because we want to win league again and that’s always one of our top goals.
“I think the league will be quite different. I think Crescenta Valley will be better and Glendale has one of the best goalkeepers in the league, so we’ll have to be ready. We like who we have and lets see what we can do.”
Hoover finished 18-8, 8-0 in league last season and lost to second-seeded Northwood, 6-5, in a Division III second-round match. The Tornadoes will remain in Division III in 2019 after the Southern Section realigned the divisions in May.
Hoover will be paced by senior two-meter Hayk Nazaryan and senior utility Vedi Gharibian. They will be joined by junior driver Samo Manukyan and junior defender Hakop Ansuryan, sophomore utility Aram Manasyan and sophomore goalkeeper Oliver Baker.
GLENDALE
Things appear to be promising for the Nitros and coach Narek Vardanian, who led his program to a second straight playoff appearance last season.
Glendale finished 18-12, 5-3 to tie for second with Arcadia in the Pacific League in 2018. Glendale’s season ended with a 5-2 defeat against El Dorado in a Division V second-round contest.
Glendale, which will now reside in Division IV, will look to stay on the right track.
“We’ve gained a lot of experience the last couple of years and that will be especially helpful for the younger players,” Vardanian said. “They are learning now and thinking about the future.
“I think we can do well in league and contend for the league championship. League will be tough again and it’s an opportunity for us to do better.”
Glendale returns senior goalkeeper Ronald George, junior utility Arno Tatos, junior hole/set Gevork Katapetyan and sophomore hole/set Rudolf Hovhannisyan.
CRESCENTA VALLEY
The Falcons will be noticeably younger this season after going 8-17, 4-4 in the Pacific League to tie for third with Burroughs in 2018. Crescenta Valley suffered a 16-10 defeat to Malibu in a Division III first-round match last season and will be in Division IV this season.
“It will be a rebuilding year, but the good thing is that we have numbers in our favor,” Crescenta Valley coach Jan Sakonju said. “I’ll be looking for the improvement that we make from the start to the end of the season and we can evaluate at that point.
“If we can break into the top 10 in our division, then that would be like getting to the semifinals in the playoffs. We’ll look for a top-four spot in league. Hoover and Glendale will probably be the top two teams in league.”
Crescenta Valley will turn to junior goalkeeper Lukas Fullner, junior utility Aiden Marriott, sophomore utility George Saroyan, sophomore driver Arthur Movsesyan and sophomore wing Charlie Ward.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
Flintridge Prep saw its run of four Prep League championships in a row conclude with a third-place finish last season.
Coming up short has left the Rebels motivated to climb back to the top.
“We definitely want to get the league championship back,” Flintridge Prep coach Andrew Phillips said. “We think we have the group here to do that and we look forward to that opportunity.
“I think we have a well-rounded group and we’ll be young like last year. We’ll see where we are at. I think there’s a lot of capability with this group.”
Flintridge Prep finished 10-14, 4-4 in league and lost, 12-6, to Claremont in a Division IV first-round match in 2018. Flintridge Prep will stay in Division IV.
The Rebels return senior utility/driver Hakop Kaplanyan, sophomore hole/set Will Fosselman and sophomore hole/guard Diego Barraclough.
ST. FRANCIS
The Golden Knights start their fourth season hungry in their quest to make the postseason for the first time in program history. St. Francis went 10-13, 2-3 in the competitive Mission League for fourth place last season.
A playoff appearance might not be far-fetched for the Golden Knights, who will reside in Division V after previously being in VI.
“We had a lot of great workouts during the summer and we have guys here who want to play water polo,” St. Francis coach Brady Lowermilk said. “We think we are capable of moving up a spot in league and that will put us in position to achieve our goal of making the playoffs. Our guys are very motivated.”
The Golden Knights will be paced by senior goalkeeper Cole Marston, junior driver Robert Alietti, junior driver/utility Jack Wilson and sophomore point Jared sin, who transferred from South Pasadena.
Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.
