SD Prep Sports:

2006 Fall Sports
Metro Conference

Boys Water Polo

Barons earn No. 3 seed in water polo playoffs

Posted Nov. 9, 2006
The top two teams from both the Mesa League — Bonita Vista and Eastlake — along with South Bay League champion Mar Vista earned berths in this year’s San Diego Section boys water polo playoff tournament. Bonita Vista (6-0 in league, 22-4 overall) headlined the local entries by receiving the third seed in the Division I playoffs.

As a reward, the Barons earned a home game at Southwestern College against Grossmont North League runner-up Grossmont (11-11) in Thursday’s opening round of the Division I playoffs, with the winner to advance to Saturday’s quadruple double-header quarterfinals at La Jolla High School.

The Grossmont-Bonita Vista winner will play either No. 6 Poway (15-8) or No. 11 Scripps Ranch (12-14) at 4 p.m.
The Division I semifinals are scheduled Nov. 15, with divisional championship games capping the season on Nov. 18, also at LJHS.

Eastlake, which finished 4-2 in Mesa League play and 18-8 overall, received the 13th seed in the 16-team playoff draw and was to meet fourth-seeded Granite Hills (22-6) in Thursday’s opening round. The Eastlake-Granite Hills winner advances to Saturday’s quarterfinals against either fifth-seeded Vista (17-11) or 12th-seeded Patrick Henry (20-6) at 2:45 p.m.

Mar Vista carried an 11-8 overall record into Wednesday’s Division II first-round matchup against Western League tri-champion La Jolla (26-5). The Mariners, who finished 8-0 in league play, received the No. 16 seed and the draw against the No.1 Vikings. The winner meets either Mt. Carmel (11-15) or Cathedral Catholic (10-17).

Avocado League champion Carlsbad (22-6) and Palomar League champion Torrey Pines (20-7) earned the top two seeds in the Division I playoffs.

With a pair of playoff wins, the Barons could face a semifinal rematch with Torrey Pines — a game the Falcons won 10-9 last year to face three-time defending champion Carlsbad in the final.

Bonita Vista and Torrey Pines offered a potential preview of the Division I semifinals in last Saturday’s regular season finale at UCSD. Torrey Pines prevailed 11-7 in the game to move to 2-0 in the season series between the teams, but the Barons had to be commended for making the game close with a spirited finish.

The Falcons trailed early 1-0 but rallied to lead 3-2 at the end of the first period and capitalized on five unanswered goals in the second quarter to hold a 7-2 edge at halftime. Bonita Vista, which seemed to shake off its sluggish start to the game, won the second half by a 5-4 margin.

Torrey Pines took its first quarter lead on a penalty shot and six-on-five man-advantage goal. The Falcons added another power play goal in the second quarter while scoring on a breakaway and perfectly-placed lob shot. The Barons missed a chance to get back into the game early by squandering a man-advantage opportunity and also missed a similar chance in the third period as the teams exchanged goals.

The Falcons added two more man-up goals in the fourth quarter as Bonita Vista engineered a late rally with four goals.

Cory Nasoff keyed Torrey Pines with four goals in the game while Brandon Ross — the hero of last year’s CIF semifinal win against the Barons — scored twice, as did Brad Fenton. Philip Flowers had one goal.

Robert Newman and Derrik Clair-Williams each scored two goals for Bonita Vista while Beto Vasquez, Landon Loitz and Gabriel Gonzalez each scored once.

Gonzalez was guarded along the perimeter for most of the game. When the Barons did managed to fire off inside shots, they either hit the post or were blocked by TP goalie Eric Gustafson.

The Barons topped Poway, 10-5, in the championship match of the 32-team Poway Invitational earlier this season.

Eastlake received a tough draw but Titans head coach Chris Barrick indicated that if his team expects to earn a higher seed in the Division I playoffs in the future, it will have to do so by recording wins against Palomar League and Avocado League teams, in particular.

“We’re going to have to do better against the North County teams in the future,” Barrick said. “I think if we had beaten Rancho Bernardo, instead of losing to them (9-6), that we would have gotten a higher seed this year.”

Still, Eastlake’s season has to be considered among the program’s best in recent years, especially considering the Titans only had two senior starters on this year’s squad — Bryan Figueroa and Gavin Fluhart.

“We will be much stronger next year,” Barrick said.

There was never a question that Eastlake would be excluded from this year’s playoff tournament. Barrick had asked for a No. 10 seed and felt his team deserved to be placed among the top 12 teams. However, a spate of upsets in the North County in the final couple weeks of regular season play scrambled the playoff seeding.

Vista defeated Poway, 8-6, in a late Palomar League game while Rancho Buena Vista owned a pair of victories against Fallbrook, which lost to Scripps Ranch.

Fallbrook placed sixth at the Poway Invitational while Scripps Ranch was seventh. Eastlake finished 17th out of 32 teams in the same tournament after dropping a 14-3 opening-round game against Granite Hills.

In the final seedings, Vista (17-11) earned the fifth seed, Poway (15-8) the sixth seed, Westview (18-10) the seventh seed, Rancho Bernardo (14-13) the eighth seed, RBV (10-14) the ninth seed, Fallbrook (12-15) the 10th seed, Scripps Ranch (12-14) the 11th seed and Eastern League champion Patrick Henry (20-6) the 12th seed.

Very little separated those eight teams and the quarterfinal-round pairings could take on a very interesting look with the potential for first-round upsets. Bonita Vista, for instance, won a triple overtime contest against Patrick Henry early in the season.

Eastlake played its Poway Invitational game against Granite Hills without Fluhart (a four-year varsity letter-winner) and has improved markedly since. Barrick said the goal in Thursday’s first-round game was to close the gap between the two teams.

Eastlake concluded regular season play with a 14-2 victory against Otay Ranch Nov. 2 at Southwestern College to finish 4-2 in Mesa League play, with both losses to third-ranked Bonita Vista.

Figueroa and Scott Kruse each paced the Titans with five goals while Chris Schmuckal scored twice and Fluhart and Bennie Garduno each contributed one goal.

Justin Kruse had 13 goalie saves.

The Mustangs, who finished regular season play 10-13 overall and 2-4 in their inaugural move up to the Mesa League, played without the services of leading scorer Ryan Castro.

Still, head coach Chris Moselle could not find fault with his team’s season — calling this year’s team “the best” in school history.

If Otay Ranch had not been moved to the Mesa League this season, the Mustangs would have run roughshod over competition in the competitively weaker South Bay League.

Moselle said the team’s history will be written for the present time against Division I teams and said he was proud of how his team competed against some of the section’s top-end squads this season.

Julian Abellar scored both goals in what turned out to be the Mustangs’ final game of the 2006 season.

Twenty years later, Barons are still the best

CHULA VISTA, Nov. 1, 2006 -- Perhaps no other team in the Metro Conference has dominated its sport over the past two decades as has the Bonita Vista High School boys water polo team. The Barons were at the top when the Sweetwater district refunded the sport in 1987. Bonita Vista has remained there since.

The Barons secured at least a tie for their 20th consecutive league title by defeating Eastlake, 16-4, Wednesday at Southwestern College. Appropriately, Bonita Vista’s varsity unit played the entire contest.

A team banner was propped up behind one of the shot clocks. There was otherwise little hoopla.

The Barons, ranked third among San Diego Section Division I teams, went coolly about their business by winning a game that pitted two Metro teams concurrently ranked in the section.

The Titans entered Wednesday’s contest ranked 10th among Division I teams, making Wednesday’s game a rare event as far as notoriety is concerned.

Gabriel Gonzalez led Bonita Vista (5-0 in Mesa League play, 21-3 overall) with six goals and four assists, Derrik Clair-William had four goals and three assists, Robert Newman had three goals and four assists, Justin Hulson had two goals and two assists and Landon Loitz scored once. Austin Toogood had 13 goalie saves. Steals leaders included Newman and Clair-Williams, both with four, Gonzalez, Loitz and Beto Vasquez, all with three, and Hulson and Jono Newman, both with two.

The Barons led 4-0 after the first quarter and 8-0 at halftime. Eastlake (3-2, 17-8) scored three of its goals in the third quarter.

The game pitted two likely qualifiers for the upcoming Division I playoffs. Rarely in recent years have two Metro teams participated in the Division I field in the same season.

“I’m looking at Eastlake as a very tough team. As far as I’m concerned, they’re an Olympic team out there,” BV coach Dan Way said before the opening sprint.

The Barons had a chance to wrap up another undefeated season with a game Thursday against Chula Vista (0-5, 2-16). The playoffs are scheduled to start Nov. 8.

Bonita Vista finished 3-2 in last week’s San Diego Open tournament, annually regarded as a preview for the upcoming playoffs. The Barons opened tourney play on Oct. 26 with an 11-10 victory against fourth-ranked Granite Hills before absorbing a 9-5 setback 35 minutes later against Mercer Island (Wash.).

Bonita Vista regrouped with an 11-8 win against Cathedral Catholic (No. 7 among Division II teams) last Friday before falling 10-5 to second-ranked Torrey Pines in last Saturday’s quarterfinals. Torrey Pines defeated Mercer Island, 10-8, to advance to the championship game — won 14-7 by Bishop’s.

The Barons defeated Santa Fe Christian (ranked fourth among Division II schools) by a 13-2 score in the consolation game. Bonita Vista’s Beto Vasquez earned selection to the all-tournament team. Scoring leaders included Clair-Williams (16 goals, eight assists, 11 steals), Gonzlaez (13 goals, eight assists, 12 steals), Newman (eight goals, five assists, nine steals), Vasquez one goal, 12 assists, four steals), Loitz (one goal, seven assists, six steals) and Hulson (four goals, one assist, seven steals). Kevin Burman recorded one goal while both Toogood and Guillermo Vasquez each had one assist.

Torrey Pines eliminated Bonita Vista by one goal in last year’s Division I semifinals. The Barons get one last shot at the Falcons in regular season play on Saturday at 1 p.m. at UCSD. Way feels the outcome could determine the second and third seeds for the upcoming playoffs.

Way pointed to one episode early in the third quarter of the tourney’s quarterfinal game that helped decide the game in favor of Torrey Pines.

“We had a two-on-one breakaway with a chance to tie the game 5-5. They came back and scored to make it 6-4. I felt that play made the difference,” Way said.

The BV coach said the Mercer Island game was played at a slow pace. “We had a chance to tie it in the fourth quarter but we didn’t. We kind of lost some of our energy,” Way said.

Way said he liked how the division rankings have come together this season, with his team sitting behind top-ranked Carlsbad and second-ranked Torrey Pines. The Barons have defeated No. 4 Granite Hills twice this season.

“I think No. 3 is a good spot for us,” Way said. “We need to step up and play good water polo and minimize our mistakes in the playoffs. I think we’ll be right there.”

Eastlake was to host Otay Ranch (2-3 in league play) in Thursday’s regular season finale. Chris Schmuckal led the Titans with two goals in Wednesday’s high profile contest while Bryan Figueroa and Scott Kruse each scored once. Justin Kruse made 11 saves.

Mesa League notepad
Bonita Vista tuned up for Wednesday’s game by defeating Otay Ranch, 11-1, Tuesday at the Loma Verde pool. Clair-Williams led the Barons with four goals while Gonzalez scored twice. Gerad Hanono, Ryan Wheeler, Newman, Hulson and Loitz each scored once. The score was 11-0 when Otay Ranch’s Alex Castello broke the BV shutout bid on a goal with 55 seconds left in the third quarter.

Eastlake, which finished 4-1 in the San Diego Open tournament, defeated Chula Vista by a 15-3 score Tuesday at the Parkway pool.

Titan coach Chris Barrick was particularly encouraged about his team’s tourney play. Eastlake wrapped up play with 10-9 and 15-5 victories against Grossmont and Steele Canyon, respectively, as well as a 5-0 forfeit win against University City. Steele Canyon is ranked 10th among Division II teams.

“We were down by four goals at halftime against Grossmont and won that game. Then it was game on the rest of the tournament,” Barrick said.

Otay Ranch continued to showcase its improved game this season with a 24-0 shutout victory against Chula Vista on Oct. 2 as Ryan Castro scored a school record 12 goals. Julian Abellar had five goals for the Mustangs, which improved to 8-9 with the win, while Eddy Addelson and Castello each scored two goals. Isaac Barquero, Gordon Davis and Emmanuel Martinez each scored one goals while goalie Kevin Mosser had nine saves.

It was the first shutout win this season for Otay Ranch, which dropped an 8-4 matchup against Scripps Ranch (sixth among Division I teams) in last week’s San Diego Open tourney.

“We expect to apply for a playoff spot. The season is not over. It’s not over until it’s over,” Mustang head coach Chris Moselle said. "Win or lose, we expect greatness.”

Trojan War
Chula Vista defeated Castle Park, 10-3, in the teams’ third annual Trojan War. Lupe Corral led the Spartans with four goals while Artemio Corral scored twice. Chula Vista received single goals from Raul Lozano, Wesley Moore, Erasmo Ames and Anthony Osuna. Brandon Miller had 14 saves in three quarters of duty for the Spartans, who are 3-0 in the rivalry series.

Metro teams earning respect but how many will be playoff-bound?

CHULA VISTA, Oct. 24, 2006 -- What are the chances of two Metro Conference teams pairing up in the opening round of the San Diego Section boys water polo playoffs? What are the chances of two area squads qualifying in the same division?

League champions receive automatic entry into postseason competition but the list has been a short one over the past 20 years of two Metro teams advancing to the playoffs in the same division in the same year.

In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that the top South County team was seemingly “automatically” inserted into the bottom-seeded position. If it was not inserted last, then it was close to it.

Postseason play starts Nov. 8 for Division II teams and Nov. 9 for Division I teams. The seeding meeting is fast approaching on Nov. 6. This weekend’s San Diego Open tournament should iron out some of the wrinkles for the playoff selection committee but a few questions remain.

Will only the Mesa League and South Bay League champions be allowed playoff berths (as has been the case in recent years) or will a third Metro team (or possibly more) be granted entry into postseason competition?

South County teams generally haven’t earned a lot of respect throughout the years. Yes, people from North County and East County recognize Bonita Vista. But other than the Barons, few — if any — of the county’s other elite programs would remotely consider scheduling a non-league game against a Metro team. Tournament competition generally has decided the fate of other South County squads.

For the most part, many of the Metro teams do not deserve to be included in the playoffs. That’s part of the cold reality teams down here face without the luxury of on-campus pools to help recruit from the general student population.

Bonita Vista, the area’s flagship team, must fund-raise $6,000 per year to be competitive against the section’s other top-notch programs, according to coach Dan Way. At home games, the Barons are relegated to using an ancient-looking metal clock while scorekeepers hand write the score on pieces of paper dangling from a table.

At night games, it’s impossible for fans to keep track of who is winning unless they do it themselves.

That’s something shameful to be taking place in the South Bay in the 21st century — especially when only a few miles down the road a massive state-of-the art shopping mall is rapidly taking shape (Otay Ranch Town Center) and SR 125 is scheduled for a 2007 debut.

Some may say that area high school aquatics programs should be grateful to even exist considering the costs for renting time at local community pools. Only a few years ago, some coaches felt the sport might be de-funded altogether.

Thankfully, that did not happen.

Despite the shortcomings that South County teams face, a brighter future could be on the horizon.

Bonita Vista and Eastlake entered the week ranked third and 10th, respectively, among the section’s Division I teams. If anyone on the playoff selection committee is reading this column, let me say the rankings are well deserved in both cases. The Barons entered Thursday’s game against Granite Hills with an overall 16-1 record, with the lone loss coming against Bishop’s (the No. 1-ranked team in Division II).

Eastlake improved to 13-7 following Tuesday night’s 14-4 Mesa League win against Otay Ranch at the Loma Verde pool (no electronic scoreboard there as well). The Titans enter Friday’s San Diego Open tournament game at Grossmont High School with a 1-1 tourney record and will likely finish somewhere in the middle of the pack (as the second-place team in its bracket) when tournament play concludes Saturday.

Eastlake defeated Monte Vista, 13-5, while dropping a tight 9-6 decision to Rancho Bernardo in opening-round play. The loss against the Broncos may hurt in terms of playoff seeding but there is no doubt that Eastlake deserves to be included among the top 16 Division I teams this year — and not as the 16th entry.

That was aptly demonstrated Tuesday night against what may be the best-ever Otay Ranch team assembled in the Mustangs’ three years of existence. The Titans established a 4-1 first-quarter lead and, after being held to just one goal in the second quarter dominated by gritty play at both ends of the pool, exploded for six third-quarter goals to take an 11-2 lead into the final period.

Chris Schmuckal, who may be one of the area’s most unheralded players, matched Eastlake teammate Scott Kruse with two first-half goals. Kruse finished the game with four goals while Schmuckal was credited with three goals and five steals. Brian Figueroa, the Titans’ season scoring leader, contributed two second-half goals.

The Titans were coming off the tough loss to Rancho Bernardo the night before and while head coach Chris Barrick was not pleased with his team’s 0-for-7 showing on man-advantage situations against the Mustangs, he said he was still proud of what his team showed Tuesday night, particularly on defense.

That pride obviously is reflected in Eastlake’s ability to play a strong all-around game against out of the area teams. In recent years, it’s been mostly up-and-down for the Titans’ program but the wave appears to be cresting now.

“It was a one-point game through all but the last two minutes of the fourth quarter when we took a few chances to tie the game and gave up two cheap goals,” said Barrick in reference to the Rancho Bernardo game.

Figueroa and Gavin Fluhart each had two goals in the loss to the Broncos while Scott Kruse and Anthony Gackstetter each scored once.

Barrick would like to see his team’s season extended beyond its final Mesa League game this coming Tuesday against Otay Ranch. Eastlake finished 17th on the board at last year’s playoff seeding meeting and appears to have advanced a few rungs up the ladder this year.

Again, a lot will be determined by the outcome of this weekend’s San Diego Open tournament finals as well as feedback received by the section playoff committee.

South County water polo programs appear to be making waves again and they should be rewarded — not only by the section’s playoff selection committee but also with some decent scorekeeping equipment.

Not everyone carries a hand calculator to games.

Metro roundup

Hilltop sinks Castle Park 15-2
CHULA VISTA, Oct. 24, 2006 -- Adam Villalobos scored five goals, Ian Barnes contributed three goals and five steals and Ryan Ellerbrock, Brian Mikels and Justin Trinidad each scored two goals to lead the victorious Lancers, who remained in second place in the South Bay League standings with Tuesday's win at the Parkway pool. David Manitu scored both goals for the winless Trojans. Hilltop led 7-1 after the first quarter.

Mar Vista holds off Hilltop, solidifes South Bay League lead
IMPERIAL BEACH, Oct. 19, 2006 -- Garrett Griffin scored on a foul shot just nine seconds into the Mariners' second-round meeting against visiting Hilltop to set the tempo in an eventual 10-4 Mar Vista win. The loss was the Lancers' second in as many meetings against the defending league champions, including a 6-5 Mariner victory on Oct. 3, to keep Hilltop from moving into a first-place tie. Griffin finished the teams' rematch with a game-high five goals while teammate Mikey Ellison contributed two goals. Ryan Ellerbrock paced Hilltop with a pair of goals while Lancer goalie Eddy Valdez made 12 saves.

The Mariners led 2-1 after the first quarter and extended their lead to 4-2 at halftime before doubling the score with a 4-2 run in the pivotal third quarter. Garry Wegener, Miller Bailey and Tony Trammel each scored one goal for Mar Vista, which broke away from an early 2-2 tie. Justin Trinidad and Lance Watkins each scored one goal for Hilltop.

Game on! for Mustangs boys water polo team

CHULA VISTA, Oct. 19, 2006 -- The Otay Ranch High School boys water polo team is on the verge of attaining something special: respectability.

That was measured in, of all things, a 10-5 non-league defeat against El Capitan Oct. 7 at the Loma Verde pool.
“Vastly improved,” were the first two words through the lips of Vaquero coach Robin Sanchez after the game. He was not talking about his own team that, with the win, improved its season start to 10-1.

In just their third year of existence, the Mustangs have quickly developed into one the Metro Conference’s elite programs. Otay Ranch ranks among the top three teams in the revamped Mesa League this season and, had the Mustangs remained in the South Bay League, they would likely have secured the school’s first championship banner in the sport.

But growth in the eastern Chula Vista region has thrust Otay Ranch into the higher enrollment Mesa League, at least for this season and next season. Head coach Chris Moselle has remained philosophical about the move, realizing that while it may not produce a league title in the short term, the increased level of competition against teams such as Bonita Vista and Eastlake should pay off in the long run.

Both Bonita Vista and Eastlake entered mid-October ranked among the top 10 Division I teams in the San Diego Section.
Moselle’s goal is for the Mustangs to one day join them.

“We’ve hit some tough spots along the way this season but the guys have kept their heads up and worked through them,” said Moselle, whose team finished 2-3 in the season opening 32-team Poway Invitational. “We continue on. There’s always bumps in the road.”

The Mustangs made their Mesa League debut a winning one by defeating Chula Vista, 19-3, on Oct. 17 at the Loma Verde pool. Ryan Castro led Otay Ranch with seven goals in the game. Six players overall scored goals, with Julian Abellar notching four goals and Alex Castello, Eddy Addelson, Isaac Barquero and Jarrett Allen each scoring two goals. Goalie Kevin Mosser registered 10 saves in the cage.

The victory hiked the Mustangs’ seasonal record to 7-6. That record fell to 7-7 after a 25-6 league setback to Bonita Vista on Oct. 19. The Barons, who advanced as far as last year’s Division I semifinals, entered the week ranked fifth among Division I teams.

Bonita Vista defeated Eastlake, which entered the week ranked seventh among Division I teams, by a 22-7 score on Oct. 17.
The Mustangs will play two league games each against Bonita Vista, Eastlake and Chula Vista.

The four games against both the Barons and Titans are a trade-off of sorts by jumping from the competitively weaker South Bay League. Otay Ranch defeated defending South Bay League champion Mar Vista, 16-7, earlier this season in non-league play.

Castro led the Mustangs with four goals in the Oct. 19 game against the Barons, who led by scores of 7-1 after the first quarter, 14-2 at halftime and 20-4 entering the final quarter. Gordon Davis and Addelson each scored one goal for Otay Ranch while Mosser turned in an otherwise strong game with 14 saves.

Castro, Abellar and Mosser — all seniors — are serving as the team’s tri-captains this season. Moselle, who has coached the team since its inception, has nothing but positives to say about each player.

In fact, each of the three players brings something different to the table. It’s that diversity that has helped make Otay Ranch the team it has become.

“Ryan’s got some charisma and he’s strong,” Moselle said. “He’s grown to love the sport. He’s proud of the team. He’s dependable and trustworthy.”

The Mustang coach called Abellar “the heartbeat” of the team.

“Julian is the ultimate team player,” Moselle said. “He knows the game and loves the team.”

Mosser has played since the beginning of the program and, according to Moselle, has “grown to love the cage.” That was evident by the display he put on against Bonita Vista with his catlike reflexes and crowd-mesmerizing saves.

Leading by example might be Mosser’s best attribute as one of the team’s most vocal field generals in the pool.

Despite his prowess in the water, Castro has only been playing the game since his junior year. “I started playing baseball when I was growing up but it wasn’t working out for me,” he said. “I talked to (assistant) coach (Ernie) Medina and he knew of two former baseball players who had a lot of success in water polo. I thought I’d give it a whirl. I’ve kept with it.”

As a team captain, Castro said it is his duty to maintain order in the ranks and act as a liaison between the players and the coaching staff. “I make sure the guys are learning what they need to be learning so the coaches can do their job of coaching and keep us winning,” Castro said.

The team’s scoring leader did not find it difficult to put a finger on the team’s greatest achievement since the formation of the program three years ago.

“The most important thing I think is that we have attained respect from everyone in San Diego,” Castro said. “By joining tournaments like the Poway Invitational and San Diego Open, we’re showing other programs in the county that the South Bay is going to be more competitive in the future.”

Though the Mustangs will be losing these three very talented leaders next season, Moselle said the future continues to look very promising for the program. Otay Ranch finished 4-1 at this year’s San Diego Open junior varsity tournament Oct. 26-28. The Mustangs opened tourney play with a 12-0 loss to Torrey Pines but finished competition with consecutive victories against Santana, Serra, El Capitan and San Pasqual.

“We had a hard time with Torrey Pines because they’re a very good swim team,” Moselle said. “We went undefeated in league play last year and we’ve only lost a couple of games this year.”

Allen, along with Alex Castello, Emmanuel Martinez and goalie Zach Johnson, have been the JV team’s standout players this season.

As far as varsity play is concerned, Otay Ranch will vie for a top-half finish in Mesa League play (which ends Nov. 2) and compete in the San Diego Open varsity tournament (which is expected to feature more than 40 teams this year). The San Diego Section playoffs start Nov. 8 and conclude with championship games in both Division I and Division II on Nov. 18.

A preseason goal was to qualify for this year’s CIF playoffs. With a strong finish to the season, the goal might still be attainable. In the least, the Mustangs have left their calling card in pools across the section this season.

The message is that they’ll be back for more of the same next season.

“It’s amazing when you look back,” Moselle said. “Three years ago we had 15 total on the team. We’re carrying 30 players this year. I think everyone on the team would say that we’ve built something to be proud of.”

Bonita Vista scoring
10/19/2006 vs. Otay Ranch
Gabriel Gonzalez 8 goals, 3 assists, 4 steals
Derrik Clair-Williams 5 goals, 2 assists, 3 steals
Robert Newman 4 goasls, 4 assists, 2 steals
Beto Vasquez 3 goals, 3 assists, 2 steals
Landon Loitz 3 goals, 1 assist
Guillermo Vasquez 1 goal, 1 assist
Gerad Hanono 1 goal
Justin Hulson 5 assists, 2 steals
Kevin Burman 1 assist
Ryan Wheeler 1 assist
Austin Toogood 12 saves

Barons demonstrate size in 22-7 league water polo win
CHULA VISTA, Oct. 17, 2006 -- The San Diego Section boys water polo playoffs begin Nov. 8. Specifically, the championship game is scheduled Nov. 18.

Those who witnessed Bonita Vista’s 22-7 dismantling of a very good Eastlake team Tuesday night at Southwestern College could only come away with one feeling: the Barons were worthy of playing in this year’s championship game.

“We’re right on cue,” said Bonita Vista coach Dan Way, whose team turned up for Tuesday’s Mesa League opener by going 5-0 in the Vellekamp Invitational hosted by Servite High School in Anaheim last weekend.

The Barons hiked their seasonal record to 14-1 following Tuesday’s victory. Their only loss remains 12-9 to four-time defending Division II champion The Bishop’s School on Sept. 27. In that game, Bonita Vista led 4-3 at halftime.

Bishop’s dropped a 10-7 non-league decision to three-time defending Division I champion Carlsbad on Oct. 12.
Bonita Vista will compete in the Division I field.

“It was basically a two-minute stretch that did us in,” Way said of the high profile non-league clash against Bishop’s. “We’d shut down their two big guns, Kevin May and Alex Pulido, and a no-name player stepped up to hit two big goals to get them on a run.”

The Barons came within a goal of advancing to last year’s Division I championship game, suffering a 10-9 setback to Torrey Pines in the semifinals — a game in which they held an early lead. Led by a core group of four captains who have been playing together before puberty struck, this year’s BV team has bounced back with a vengeance.

Take note: Torrey Pines dropped a 10-9 matchup against Carlsbad in non-league action on Sept. 27.

A rematch in this year’s playoffs could well go the Barons’ way this time around if the amount of focus, determination, pride and, perhaps most important of all, talent, the team displayed Tuesday is any indicator.

Gabriel Gonzalez paced all scorers in the water with eight goals, two assists and two steals, followed by teammate Derrik Clair-Williams with eight goals, one assist and one steal. Robert Newman scored three goals and dished out eight assists while Justin Hulson had two goals and one steal and Beto Vasquez had one goal, six assists and two steals. Landon Loitz and Jono Newman each contributed one assist and three steals while goalie Austin Toogood racked up 11 saves.

Four players also grabbed goals for Eastlake: Scott Kruse (three), Bryan Figueroa (two), Gavin Fluhart (one) and Chris Schmuckal (one).

Each team had its designated “go-to” guys. The reaction time and efficiency at which the Barons executed plays, however, was simply breathtaking.

Well, a better description might be … deadly.

Bonita Vista quickly went up 1-0 at the 32-second mark as Clair-Williams whipped off a cannon shot to the right of Titans goalie Justin Kruse. The score was briefly tied 1-1 on a five-meter penalty shot by Eastlake’s Figueroa. The Barons then maneuvered down the pool for a 3-1 lead. Then before anyone had the chance to strike up a conversation with the person nearest them (the usual standing-room-only crowd lines the pool deck whenever these two teams meet), the score was 7-1 at the end of the first quarter.

The Barons ran off eight consecutive goals before the Titans (10-6) could finally respond to make the score 9-2. The halftime score read 12-2. It was 17-4 entering the final period.

“They’re a good team — one of the best teams in the county this year,” said Eastlake coach Chris Barrick, whose team was coming off a pair of emotional wins of its own last week.

The Titans defeated visiting Escondido, 12-11, on Oct. 12 as Anthony Gackstetter broke an 11-11 tie with what proved to be the game-winning goal with just over a minute left to play in regulation. The next night, Eastlake topped West Hills, 15-8, behind a six-goal effort by Scott Kruse.

Escondido had been ranked 10th in the San Diego Section coaches poll for the two preceding weeks. West Hills has been a regular party to the San Diego Section playoffs in recent years, sharing last year’s Grossmont North League championship.
The Titans feel they deserve a berth in this year’s playoff field.

“Those two games were especially big wins for our guys,” said Barrick, who would like to believe that last week’s non-league victories made up for disappointing losses earlier this season to San Pasqual (8-7) and Helix (12-11). “Escondido was ranked 10th, and deservedly so, and we took them out.”

Based on those two non-league wins, the Titans climbed to No. 7 among Division I teams in this week’s coaches poll behind No. 5 Bonita Vista. While Barrick was complimentary of the ranking, he felt his team still had to earn such a lofty rating. “I think we’re definitely in the top 12,” he said.

Each win for Bonita Vista is a big one as regular season play heads to a close. The Barons defeated El Segundo (8-5), Valhalla (13-4), Santana (19-2), Costa Mesa (17-11) and Fountain Valley (10-3) at the Servite tournament. Bonita Vista led 16-0 before Santana scored. The Barons played their final two games against Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley in iron-man fashion with just seven players because of conflicts with SAT testing.

Way was particularly proud to note that his team played a man down for a quarter and a half against Fountain Valley yet did not allow a goal.

Clutch play, however, seems to define this year’s BV squad. In yet another marquee non-league matchup Oct. 5 against Patrick Henry at the Allied Gardens pool, the Barons pulled out a 13-12 sudden-death overtime win. After the Patriots scored to force overtime, Bonita Vista was then forced to score twice in the overtime period on goals by Loitz and Hulson to keep the game going before Loitz eventually rescued the South County team with a goal in the sudden-death phase.

Clair-Williams led the Barons with three goals in the Bishop’s game while Gonzalez and Hulson each scored twice and Newman and Loitz each had one goal. Newman, Loitz and Hulson each scored three times against Patrick Henry while Gonzalez had two goals.

Toogood recorded eight saves against Bishop’s.

Junior varsity
Eastlake recorded a fourth-place finish at last week’s San Diego Open junior varsity tournament with a 3-2 record. The Titans defeated Patrick Henry (15-1), Cathedral Catholic (11-5) and Mira Mesa (12-4) to qualify for the Final Four round along with such "name" programs as Carlsbad, Granite Hills and Bishop’s.

In the Final Four round, Eastlake lost 10-5 to Granite Hills before falling 10-9 to Bishop’s on a goal in the final minute of the second overtime period. Top players in the tournament for the Titans included Felix Dion, Ismael Alvarez, Chase Fluhart and goalie Chad Ormsbee.

Eastlake defeated Bonita Vista 19-7 in Tuesday’s JV game. "We only lose two seniors this year. I can’t wait until next year when we have some of these JV players up playing on the varsity," Barrick said.

Eastlake varsity leaders
As of Oct. 15: Brian Figueroa 50 goals, 12 assists, 33 steals;
Scott Kruse 28 goals, nine assists, 31 steals
Gavin Fluhart 22 goals, five assists, 19 steals;
Chris Schmuckal 20 goals, 25 assists, 28 steals;
Anthony Gackstetter nine goals, 11 assists, 17 steals
Justin Kruse 7.79 GAA, .562 blocking percentage.

South Bay League polo teams starting to make waves

CHULA VISTA, Oct. 10, 2006 -- It appears that Mar Vista and Hilltop are the two kingpins in the water this season in South Bay League boys water polo. But that shouldn’t minimize the success of both Castle Park and Marian Catholic. Both programs are in an extended stage of development and that development is progressing surprisingly fast, as was evidenced in a pair of recent clashes against Hilltop at the Parkway pool.

The Lancers won both contests handily but the strong fundamentals and resolve displayed by both their opponents had to be commended, according to Hilltop coach John Salts.

“Castle Park had a coaching change recently and they now have 20 guys in the water. I think that’s just great,” Salts said.
Hilltop defeated the new-look Trojans by a score of 11-3 on Oct. 5 after holding a 7-1 halftime edge. The Lancers downed the Crusaders, 20-9, on Tuesday to improve to 2-1 in league play.

David LeDuc scored four goals in the first half to lead Marian Catholic while Matt Milke added a second-quarter goal as the Crusaders trailed 9-5 at intermission.

Marian Catholic displayed strong arms throughout the contest, scoring at least twice from mid-tank on precision shots just inside the post.

The Crusaders opened the season with a forfeit loss against Chula Vista on Sept. 19 and a 20-1 loss against Otay Ranch on Sept. 21.

To say that Marian Catholic has come a long way in just three weeks is an understatement of the first order.
Ditto for Castle Park.

David Manitu scored twice for the Trojans while Hector Contreras chipped in with one goal.

Hilltop, meanwhile, continues to hold Mar Vista in its sights after falling 6-5 to the Mariners on Oct. 3. The teams rematch Oct. 19 in Imperial Beach.

A Mar Vista win would allow the Mariners to retain the league title; a Hilltop victory would forge a co-championship.

“We gave away two goals and lost by one goal. I’m excited for the next game,” Salts said. “Taking nothing away from Mar Vista — we expect another great game between these teams.”

The Lancers improved to 6-7 overall following Tuesday’s win. Hilltop owns a 2-6 non-conference record and winning a share of the league title may be the only means the Lancers have to qualify for the upcoming San Diego Section Division II playoffs, Salts said.

Mar Vista hiked its record to 3-7 after its heady first-round win against Hilltop. The South Bay League champion receives automatic entry into post-season competition. A co-championship could make things interesting as far as which team is selected by the seeding panel under new playoff guidelines adopted by the section this season.

Hilltop defeated Oceanside, 10-9, on Sept. 28 but dropped a 20-3 decision to Santa Fe Christian, ranked fifth among Division II teams, on Oct. 4.

Adam Villalobos scored five goals and Ian Barnes and Ryan Ellerbrock and Justin Trinidad each scored two goals in the win against Castle Park. Scott Martinson was credited with five goalie saves while Anthony Danielson had four saves.
Bryan Mikels keyed the Lancers with six goals in Tuesday’s win.

Mariners go one up on Lancers in South Bay League polo war

CHULA VISTA, Oct. 3, 2006 -- Tuesday’s South Bay League boys water polo game between Mar Vista and Hilltop at the Parkway pool did not match last year’s legendary encounter (read: one of the best high school water polo games played in a South Bay pool in the past two decades) but it did provide its share of drama.

Trailing 6-3 with time running out in the final quarter, Hilltop pulled a gut-check and scored two unanswered goals to pull to within one goal, 6-5, on the scoreboard with 2:19 left in the game. From there, it was up for grabs, with the Lancers having two shots at the Mar Vista cage in the dying seconds in a bid to extend the game into overtime.

Both shots just missed the post on each occasion.

Mar Vista players celebrated at the final buzzer. Hilltop players … well, some even wore a well-deserved smile after the loss.

“A one-goal game,” one Lancer starter was overheard saying after the teams exchanged ceremonial post-game handshakes.

A surprise ending? Maybe Hilltop’s players found out they just aren’t so young and so inexperienced after all after taking the defending league champion Mariners down to the wire.

Mar Vista standout Garrett Griffin, who totaled five goals and two steals in the contest, called the victory “pretty big” for his team.

“We didn’t lose as many players (to graduation) as Hilltop did,” said Griffin, who was swamped in the two-meter position all game long by Lancer defenders. “But we lost our goalie, who was a big part of our team, and also Don Sales. They were big players for us. These young guys pulling together was what helped us win this game. In other games, we couldn’t find the ladder to climb back.”

On Tuesday, the Mariners did.

The Lancers, who were coming off a sixth-place finish at the preceding weekend’s eight-team Cowboy Invitational at El Capitan High School, took a 2-0 lead in the game on a pair of goals by Adam Villalobos. The emphasis was clearly on playing solid defense, and Hilltop did just that for virtually the entire first quarter with spectacular results. Griffin — Mar Vista’s inside threat — was double-teamed, and even triple-teamed on occasion, with his powerful shots from the two-meter position either blocked by Lancer goalie Eddy Valdez or just missing wide.

Griffin, in particular, could be held down only so long.

The Mariner standout notched the first goal of the second quarter to tie the match and then scored the go-ahead 3-2 goal on a Hilltop turnover that completely turned around the momentum in the game.

After successfully defending Griffin at two meters, a Lancer player attempted to pass the ball back to Valdez in the cage rather than move the ball forward on offense. The back pass wasn’t high enough and Griffin got a hand on it and then pounced on the loose ball, finding an open lane to rocket a shot into the Hilltop net.

The first half ended 3-2 in Mar Vista’s favor.

“That was a big part of creating the ladder. That was the start,” Griffin said.

Fortunes suddenly seemed to turn against the Lancers. The Mariners were awarded a five-meter penalty shot just 42 seconds into the third quarter and Griffin scored to increase the MV lead to 4-2. Griffin scored again to up the lead to 5-2 before Hilltop’s Villalobos finally ended a run of five unanswered Mariner goals to trim the score to 5-3 at the end of the period.

Hilltop had a chance to further narrow the score but could not take advantage of a power play, with Mar Vista’s Miller Bailey scoring shortly thereafter to hike the visitors’ lead to 6-3.

Villalobos put the Lancers in position to tie the game from there with his fourth and fifth goals of the game. In fact, Villalobos had a chance to tie the game on a foul shot in the final minute. However, the strong-armed shot sailed just wide.

After a clutch stop by Valdez, the Lancers had one more chance as Justin Trinidad was fouled in the MV defensive end. Trinidad launched the restart to teammate Ian Barnes, whose shot with one second left again went just wide.

Hilltop coach John Salts might have wanted a couple plays back that led to goals by the opponent but he had to feel good about his team’s spirited comeback in the final quarter.

The teams rematch Oct. 19 at Mar Vista High School.

“We figured they were going to double-team — even triple-team — me,” Griffin said. “We tried to move the ball to the perimeter. Unfortunately, our shots were not (on target). We hit the bar a lot. Once we showed them that we were a threat on top, they didn’t want to leave anyone open. But they still double-teamed me.”

Villalobos scored all five Hilltop goals while Valdez made 12 saves. On the Mariners’ end, Bailey had one goal, two assists and two steals while Mikey Ellison contributed one assist and two steals. MV goalie Dustin Bottomly also recorded 12 saves in the game.

The Mariners, who placed seventh in the Cowboy Invitational, improved to 3-7 with Tuesday’s win.

Cowboy Invitational
Salts said his team used last weekend’s tournament for one express purpose: “to get ready for Tuesday’s game.”

The Lancers finished 1-3 in the eight-team field, opening with a 12-7 loss to eventual runner-up Mission Bay last Friday and closing out preliminary play the following morning with a 9-5 loss to eventual fourth place Ramona and an 11-7 win against last place Mt. Miguel.

Hilltop finished sixth after a 15-6 setback to La Jolla Country Day. That game was close early, with the Lancers rallying from an early 3-1 deficit to tie the game at three goals apiece on shots by Barnes and Trinidad. LJCD regained the lead, 4-3, by the end of the first quarter and slowly built an 8-4 lead by halftime. Vivan Suri had seven goals to lead the Torreys while Ryan Ellerbrock paced Hilltop in the first half with two goals.

Barnes was named as the Lancers’ tournament team MVP.

Ellison racked up nine goals and three assists and Bailey contributed three goals and four assists to help guide the Mariners past Mt. Miguel, 17-11, in the seventh-place game after suffering losses to the first-, third- and fifth-place teams in the eight-team gathering. Mar Vista dropped a 10-9 decision to third place Clairemont in the teams’ tournament opener.

Ryan Barr had two goals and two assists for the defending South Bay League champion Mariners, who also received two goals and one assist from Gary Wegener and two goals from Ryan Henderlite. Bottomly had five saves and two steals against the Matadors, who finished 0-4 in the tourney.

Gary Myers paced Mt. Miguel with eight goals in the seventh-place game. Griffin was named as Mar Vista’s tournament team MVP.

Tournament statistics:
El Capitan Cowboy Invitational

Titans swamp Canyon Crest Academy
CHULA VISTA, Oct. 3, 2006 -- Bryan Figueroa scored six goals, Scott Kruse had four goals and Gavin Fluhart scored twice to lead Eastlake to a 14-6 non-league victory against Canyon Crest Academy Tuesday night at Southwestern College. Chris Schmuckal had five assists and goalie Justin Kruse had 15 saves. The Titans (8-4) next play Friday at 3:15 p.m. at Capistrano Valley High School. Eastlake's junior varsity team also prevailed, winning 11-3.

Barons win battle of Bonitas

CHULA VISTA, Sept. 21, 2006 -- A new rivalry may have just been born: the Bonita Bearcats versus the Bonita Vista Barons.

The teams met in last year’s America’s Finest City Invitational, with the Barons taking a three-goal victory. The initial meeting proved so intriguing that a second one was arranged this season: the battle of Bonitas, so to speak.

“This is a game that I’ve always dreamed about,” Baron coach Dan Way said. “Even when I played, I heard there was another Bonita. I always wanted to play them.”

The Barons are now 2-0 in the series after holding off a determined Bearcats rally to claim a 15-11 non-league final at the Southwestern College pool. Derrik Clair-Williams led Bonita Vista with five goals while Gabriel Gonzalez scored four goals.
The game against the Barons was only the second of the year for the Laverne-based Bearcats, who dropped a 10-6 non-league decision to La Jolla earlier in the day. Bonita was to play seven games in three days on its San Diego junket, concluding the trip with five contests in last weekend’s AFC Invitational.

Bonita placed 12th out of 32 teams after an 8-7 loss to Chaparral.

The Barons, who entered the game ranked third among San Diego Section teams after winning the previous weekend’s 32-team Poway Invitational, improved to 7-0 with the Sept. 21 victory.

Bonita Vista enjoyed a runaway start in the game, taking a 6-1 lead before the Laverne team — braced by USA Junior National team member Brett Hays and winners of five consecutive Southern Section Division 6 championships — started to make adjustments. The Bearcats had to make further adjustments when Hays drew a major ejection, leaving the team without its star player. Hays had three goals at the time of his ejection in the first half.

“When he got ejected, our guys went ‘Whoa,’” Way said. “At halftime I told our kids they (Bonita) could do either of two things: fold or come back. They never folded but came back. They’re a well-coached team.”

Down 9-6 at halftime, Bonita created some serious challenges in the third quarter before the Barons managed to finally gain a comfort zone in the score. Beto Vasquez and Jono Newman each scored two goals for Bonita Vista while Robert Newman and Justin Hulson each scored once. Goalie Austin Toogood was credited with five saves.

Jeff Davis keyed the Bearcats with five goals.

“We played Bonita Vista in the America’s Finest Invitational last year. Dan is a fantastic coach,” said Bonita coach Josh Ashby, a 1999 graduate of Bishop’s. “I knew coming into the game that they’d be well-coached.”

Hilltop 14, Chula Vista 1
Justin Jimenez scored four goals and Adam Villalobos and Ryan Ellerbrock were each credited with three goals to lead Hilltop to a 14-1 non-league victory against Chula Vista on Tuesday. Chris Jaggers also scored twice for the Lancers.

Lino Iuli scored the lone goal for the Spartans, who dropped a 21-2 non-league contest against defending South Bay League champion Mar Vista on Sept. 21. Garret Griffin (five goals) and Mike Ellison (four goals) led the Mariners.

Chula Vista finished 0-5 in the recent Poway Invitational but closed out play with a pair of narrow losses against El Camino (11-7) and Oceanside (15-11). Lupe Corral led the Spartans in tournament scoring with 10 goals while Artemio Corral scored seven goals. Goalie Brandon Miller had 45 saves.

Barons make a return to the top

Bonita Vista claims 32-team Poway Invitational title

CHULA VISTA, Sept. 21, 2006 -- Last year was supposed to be the year that the Bonita Vista High School boys water polo team returned to glory. Team members had set everything aside to focus on one goal. The hard work put forth to accomplish that goal would make football practices on a hot August day pale by comparison.

It appeared to pay off as the Barons — on the 10th anniversary of the school’s last appearance in the San Diego Section championship game — advanced to the Division I semifinals and took an early 3-1 lead on Torrey Pines, the defending runner-up squad.

The game went back and forth in fog rolling in off the nearby Pacific Ocean and Bonita Vista appeared poised to snatch a heroic victory to reach the promised land: the CIF championship game.

But somehow it was not to be as the Falcons pulled out a 9-8 victory to move on to play top-seeded Carlsbad.
The Barons, well … their season ended in heartbreaking fashion.

In many ways, for those who were aware of the personal sacrifices made, it was a cruel ending.

Head coach Dan Way, obviously disappointed, spoke about the resiliency of his team afterward, saying that Bonita Vista would be back to challenge for the prize once again.

The Barons are indeed back — and with a fury, it seems — after winning the championship title of last weekend’s 32-team Poway Invitational tournament.

“Absolutely,” said Way when asked if he felt his team could rebound successfully, considering the talent it lost to graduation.
“Every season is a new season. Every loss is heartbreaking. We have a competitive attitude year-in and year-out. We’re not going to be satisfied just doing OK. We strive to do the best we can. We found success last season. It was a 9-8 game.”

New season. Same drive. Maybe the results will be in the Barons’ favor this year.

Just maybe.

The last time the Barons won the Poway Invitational was in 1995. Way was a member of that legendary BVHS team that went on to place second to then section superpower Valhalla by a 9-8 score in the Division I championship game.

No other Metro Conference team has returned since then.

“I’m very excited about winning the Poway Invitational,” said Way, whose team finished second to three-time defending Division I champion last year. “It’s a stepping stone. Our goal is to win CIF. Every one of these boys will tell you the same thing. And we’ve got some great competition out there.”

Bonita Vista defeated tourney-host Poway, 10-5, in last Saturday’s championship game after edging Granite Hills by a 12-8 score in the semifinals.

The Barons finished 5-0 in the tournament to improve to 6-0 overall on the season after recording a 10-9 non-league victory against University City on Sept. 13.

Bonita Vista dominated its early-round games at this year’s Poway Invitational, defeating Mission Hills (21-1) Grossmont (16-1) and Mt. Carmel (9-4).

Granite Hills finished third after defeating Patrick Henry, 14-11, while Mt. Carmel finished eighth after a 13-12 loss to Scripps Ranch.

Derrik Clair-Williams scored five goals in the title game against the Titans (a semifinal loser to Carlsbad last year) while teammate Robert Newman scored three goals. Both share team captain duties this season with Beto Vasquez and Gabriel Gonzalez, who both keyed the BV defense.

The four Barons have been friends — and playing water polo together — since the sixth grade. There is no obvious substitute for experience, as defines this year’s BV squad, according to Way.

“They’ve all been friends since they were little,” the Barons coach said. “It’s like a culmination of their friendship together.
They’re the top dogs now. This is their time to shine and the opportunity to show the world what they can do.”

This year’s Bonita Vista team isn’t led by just four players, however. Other top returners in the program include two-meter set Landon Loitz, driver Justin Hulson, two-meter guard Jono Newman and goalie Austin Toogood. Drivers Kevin Burman, Ryan Wheeler, Guillermo Vasquez and Gerad Hanono round out this year’s varsity unit.

Team defense, Way said, has been the critical factor in the Barons’ success this season.

“Our team defense is the reason we are where we’re at,” he said. “When we stand up and play team defense, it brings out our offense. When we play as a team, we really shine.”

Understandably, the scoring has been spread out. Through six games, Clair-Williams led Bonita Vista with 24 goals while Gonzalez had racked up 15 goals and Newman had collected 13 goals. Hulson and Loitz each had six goals.

The Barons have high profile games scheduled against defending Division II champion Bishop’s, Patrick Henry and Torrey Pines. Some are regarding Bishop’s as the best team in the section this season. In the Poway Invitational semifinals, Poway defeated Patrick Henry 13-9.

“We’re looking forward to some great matchups,” Way said.

Metro roundup
Eastlake dropped its opening tournament game, 14-3, to Granite Hills, then won its remaining four games to finish 17th in the tournament (the highest any team can place after losing its opening game). The Titans defeated Escondido (7-5), Mira Mesa (9-3), San Pasqual (11-5) and Canyon Crest Academy (14-2).

Eastlake hiked its early season record to 7-2 by virtue of Tuesday’s 15-2 non-league victory against Hilltop in a prime- time encounter at the Southwestern College pool. Brian Figueroa and Gavin Fluhart led the well-rounded offensive attack with three goals apiece while John Jeffery, Ismael Alvarez and Chris Schmuckal each scored two goals. Anthony Gackstetter, Chase Fluhart and Benny Garduno each scored one goal.

Goalie Justin Kruse recorded 10 blocks in the contest while Gavin Fluhart helped key the defense with three steals. Gackstetter, Jeffery and Alvarez each were credited with two steals.

Adam Villalobos scored both Hilltop goals while Lancer goalie Scott Martinson was credited with three steals.

“Our defense is a lot better than last year,” Eastlake coach Chris Barrick said. “We’ve gotten better at taking away the inside game from teams that are physically bigger than us. We have a lot of steals and that helps get our counter-attack going out there. Justin Kruse, who is only a sophomore, is doing a great job for us in goal.”

Otay Ranch scored two victories in the second day of competition in the Poway Invitational on Sept. 15, defeating Valley Center, 13-5, and edging Ramona, 8-7, in overtime. The Mustangs were led by senior co-captain Julian Abellar in the victory against Valley Center with six goals, including three goals in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Abellar also led Otay Ranch with five steals and dished out two assists.

Senior co-captain Ryan Castro contributed four goals, three assists and two steals while senior Eddy Addelson had two goals, two assists and two steals. Alex Castello had a goal, assist and steal while senior defensive captain Kevin Mosser recorded 10 saves in the cage.

Castro had six goals and two steals against Ramona, including the goal in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 7-all and send it to overtime and then recording the game-winner in overtime. Abellar and Addelson each had one goal and one assist. Mosser, displaying intensity and control, according to coach Chris Moselle, held Ramona scoreless in the late going with three saves in the fourth quarter and one save in overtime.

Moselle said players who played supporting roles included seniors Gordon Davis and Ben Jo, juniors Isaac Barquero and Tristan Hallum and sophomores Emmanuel Martinez, Jarret Allen, Miguel Garbanzos and Zach Johnson.

The Mustangs, who opened the tournament with a 12-1 loss to Fallbrook, closed out the tourney with narrow losses to Canyon Crest (5-3) and San Pasqual (9-7).

Chula Vista had several close encounters as well in the tournament despite failing to advance to the championship round. The Spartans lost to El Camino (11-7) and Oceanside (15-11) on the final day of tournament play.

Bonita Vista Barons
2006 Scoring Leaders
Player Goals/Assists
Robert Newman 13-19
D. Clair-Williams 24-5
Gabriel Gonzalez 15-10
Beto Vasquez 1-12
Justin Hulson 6-4
Jono Newman 5-4
Landon Loitz 6-1
Gerad Hanono 4-3
Kevin Burman 4-1
Guillermo Vasquez 4-1
Ryan Wheeler 3-2
Austin Toogood 0-1
Steals: Robert Newman 20; Gabriel Gonzalez 17; Derrik Clair-Williams 12; Beto Vasquez 11; Justin Hulson 10; Landon Loitz 8; Jono Newman 6; Guillermo Vasquez 5.

Poway Invitational 2006 Scoreboard
Championship
Bonita Vista 10, Poway 5

Third place
Granite Hills 13, Patrick Henry 10

Fifth place
Westview 11, Fallbrook 8

Seventh place
Scripps Ranch 13, Mt. Carmel 12

Titan captain dedicates his season to Micah

By Ryan Rudnansky
Sports intern
Eastlake High School senior Gavin Fluhart possesses the physical tools to excel at the collegiate level.
Fluhart has been swimming since fourth grade and head coach Chris Barrick believes he is the fastest kid in the pool.
But maintaining focus every game has been what Fluhart has worked hard to improve.

And it hasn’t been easy.

Maybe it’s because he’s still only in high school.

Maybe it’s because he spends just as much time studying for the upcoming exams in his honors classes as he does studying for the next water polo game.

Or maybe it’s because his younger brother, Micah, was recently diagnosed a second time with leukemia and spends much of his childhood undergoing chemotherapy treatments at the hospital.

Micah was diagnosed with leukemia five years ago, but recovered and the last two years has been free of the disease.
But just recently the seventh-grader relapsed and the Titans have dedicated their season to him.

“You see things in a different light,” Fluhart said. “You are doing it for more of a reason than to just have fun.”

Fluhart fights to stay focused on water polo while thoughts of his brother always loom. Because of the relapse, Micah is given only a 50 percent chance now at surviving the disease. He was to enter the hospital this week for five days of intense chemothearapy treatment.

“I try to put forth the most effort because I see what Micah has gone through, how hard he has strived, and I want to be an example for him,” Fluhart said. “I don’t want him to see me throwing in the towel.”

Added Barrick: “It takes a special kind of kid —with all the family things going on — to still go out there. It’s a testament to who he is. He’s a strong kid. If I was in his position, I don’t know if I’d do as well as he has.”

All Fluhart has done in his four years at the varsity level is hold down the two-meter position — a position critical for Eastlake High School’s offensive attack — and be a model of stability for the rest of his teammates, serving as the team captain.
At Eastlake’s season opener on Aug. 31, Fluhart orchestrated a 17-5 drubbing of Mira Mesa, scoring two goals himself.

It was a team win, as six different Titans scored.

But what drew Fluhart to water polo in the first place was the team element; not necessarily the winning.

“For me, I like water polo because each player can make a big difference,” he said. “With water polo, you have to work with the whole team. So one guy, even if he is really good, he’s not necessarily going to change the entire game.”

However, one person has changed the game for Fluhart.

His little brother Micah.

Lancers score first win of season, 15-6
CHULA VISTA, Sept. 12, 2006 -- With just one starter returning from last year’s varsity team, the Hilltop High School boys water polo team looked to be in a rebuilding phase this season. However, with the influx of players from the program’s highly successful junior varsity and novice teams, head coach John Salts expected the transition to go more smoothly. He expressed optimism about this season despite the large turnover in talent.

Salts’ optimism remains. It just appears it is going to take a bit longer than anticipated for the 2006 unit to come together.
“I think if you asked every kid they’d say the same thing — that they’re not mentally with it yet,” the Lancer coach said following Tuesday’s 15-6 non-league victory against Chula Vista at the Parkway pool. “We need more games (to continue developing).”

With few players from the team participating in off-season summer programs, Salts expected a slow start. Tuesday’s victory was Hilltop’s first of the season following a 14-0 scrimmage loss to Otay Ranch, a 13-5 season opening loss to Escondido and a 16-7 loss in last Friday’s alumni game.

“How many games have we played so far, just four?” Salts asked out loud.

The Lancers’ most consistent players through the opening two weeks of the season have been defensive hole-guard Adam Villalobos, winger Ian Barnes and goalie Anthony Danielson.

Villalobos switched to the flat position for the second half of Tuesday’s game and scored three goals on his first three shots.
Villalobos finished the game with four goals, ranking behind teammate Ryan Ellerbrock with seven goals. Justin Trinidad, a standout on last year’s JV team, was credited with three goals in the game while Barnes had one goal.

Blaine Nissen played the first half of the game in the cage for the Lancers, who led 6-3 at halftime against a much improved Spartan squad before pulling away in the second half.

Danielson and Nissen each gave up three goals in a half of duty.

“We won but I was most impressed with Chula,” Salts said. “I was very impressed by how many players they had gotten in the past week and how competitive they were. There were quite a few first-time players in the water and they played fundamentally strong.”

Phil Disney, a former assistant at Marian Catholic, is patrolling Chula Vista’s bench this season. The numbers are up compared to the past and so is the outlook on the season.

Lupe Corral keyed the Spartans with three goals while Raul Lozano, Erasmo Ames and Sergio Candelaria each scored single goals.

Goalie Brandon Miller had five saves, including a block of a five-meter penalty shot.

Miller, Ames (defensive hole guard) and Joseph Cox (hole set) are the team’s top three returners, according to Disney.

“We are looking to rebuild this program, find a few victories and establish ourselves as a viable opponent in an already strong league,” the CV coach said.

The Spartans will compete in this weekend’s Poway Invitational and test Marian Catholic in a 3 p.m. non-league game next Tuesday at the Parkway pool and also host defending South Bay League champion Mar Vista in another non-league encounter on Thursday, also at 3 p.m.

Hilltop is off until next Tuesday’s non-league game against Eastlake at Southwestern College (7:30 p.m. start time).

Alumni game
Chris Moselle and Kyle Kovar led the Hilltop alumni with four goals apiece in last Friday’s matchup against the Lancer varsity team. Nick Davidson and Julia Relph each were credited with three goals in the game.

“There were a couple spurts when the alumni dominated,” Salts said. “A lot of kids who graduated in the last five years played for the alumni. They were in condition and had a lot of strong arms out there. It took a half for us to get it going. We played a great second half.”

Barnes led the Hilltop varsity with a pair of goals.

Metro roundup
Otay Ranch defeated Monte Vista, 13-5, on Sept. 5 to officially face off the 2006 season before suffering its first loss of the season to La Jolla Country Day.

Returning seniors include co-captain Ryan Castro (2005 first team all-league), co-captain Kevin Mosser (2005 all-league honorable mention), co-captain Julian Abellar (2005 second team all-league), Eddy Addleson, Gordon Davis and Ben Jo (2005 all-league honorable mention). Juniors Isaac Barquero and Tristan Hallum and sophomores Emmanuel Martinez and Alex Castello make up the rest of the varsity team.

The Mustangs spent this week preparing for the Poway Invitational, opening tourney play with a game against Fallbrook. “Our goal is to gain good momentum going into league play,” head coach Chris Moselle said. “My boys are working hard to prepare for higher level teams in tournament play and leagues, and we believe we have a winning chance against all of our opponents this season. Our team has a lot of heart.”

Through two games, the Mustangs’ JV team remained undefeated (2-0) and will compete in the San Diego JV Open Oct. 9-14.

Eastlake improved its early season record to 2-1 after defeating La Costa Canyon, 13-8, Tuesday night in North County. Bryan Figueroa led the Titans with five goals while Gavin Fluhart scored four goals and Scott Kruse had three goals. Hugo Madrid rounded out the winners’ scoring with one goal while goalie Justin Kruse had 11 blocks.
Eastlake won the JV game, 9-5.

The Titans previously lost, 17-6, to Santa Fe Christian in varsity play.

Titans poised for breakout boys water polo season
If the highlights of summer league play can be carried over into the fall, the 2006 season could be very rewarding for the Eastlake Titans boys water polo team.

The Titan Water Polo Club, Eastlake’s off-season club team, finished 2-1 in a summer league tournament, recording a win against Norse, Valhalla’s club team.

“We beat Valhalla for the first time. It was a big moral victory for our guys,” Eastlake head coach Chris Barrick said.
The 2006 Eastlake squad sports several familiar faces such as Bryan Figueroa, Gavin Fluhart, Chad Ormsbee, Anthony Gackstetter, Jason (Boots) Bowman, Hugo Madrid, Scott Kruse and Jonathan Jeffery.

“Our boys have played together all summer in two different summer leagues and five or six tournaments,” said Barrick, whose squad tipped off the high school season with a dominating 17-5 non-league victory against Mira Mesa Aug. 31 at the Southwestern College pool. “They are truly starting to understand the mental part of the game. We have a tougher schedule this year and I expect to have a better record this year than last. We were 17th in final CIF seedings last year and missed the tournament cut off by one. This year we are striving to be in the top 12.”

The Titans are led by seniors Fluhart and Figueroa, both of whom earned second team all-league honors last season as juniors, along with returning varsity starters Bowman (junior) and sophomore Chris Schmuckal. Kruse (junior) will also be an impact player this season after leading Eastlake’s junior varsity team in scoring last year. Kruse would have played varsity last season but was a transfer student and wasn’t eligible to compete at the varsity level.

“We’ve had a real competitive contest at goalie to replace departing first team all-league goalie Austin Legg,” Barrick said. “Junior Chad Ormsbee and sophomore Justin Kruse have both really stepped up their play in the goal and are competing for the starting varsity spot. Senior Hugo Madrid and juniors Jonathan Jeffery and Anthony Gackstetter have been working on the two-meter offensive position (hole set) and will rotate through the season to keep a fresh set of legs at two meters.”

A team is only as strong as its bench and the Titans can rely on outstanding swimmers who will give the team speed off the bench. They include Benny Garduno, Freddy Uquillas and Jeff DeMoss.

Eastlake had lost by one goal to Mira Mesa the previous three years, making the Titans’ season opening win noteworthy.
“It was a nice way to start,” said, Barrick, whose team led 11-1 at halftime.

Kruse keyed Eastlake with six goals and one assist while Figueroa scored five goals and one assist. Schmuckal led the team with four assists, four defensive steals, three drawn ejections and scored two goals. Fluhart had two goals on four attempts while Madrid and Gackstetter rounded out the scoring with one goal apiece. Justin Kruse “stepped up big,” according to Barrick, with 18 saves, one blocked penalty shot and two assists from the cage.

The Titans junior varsity team also emerged victorious. In that game, junior Chase Fluhart had five goals on five attempts.

Metro roundup
Hilltop made its season debut Sept. 1 with a 13-5 non-league loss to Escondido at the Parkway pool. Ian Barnes and Adam Villalobos led the Lancers with two goals each while Justin Trinidad had one goal.

Mustangs roar with 14-0 polo win
CHULA VISTA, Aug. 29, 2006 -- With a full varsity, junior varsity and now a full freshman team, the foundation appears firmly set for the Otay Ranch High School boys water polo team. Success is guaranteed to follow at some point.

It could be this year judging by the ferocity the Mustangs displayed in hanging a 14-0 shutout loss on an young Hilltop team in Tuesday’s scrimmage at the Parkway pool. Otay Ranch, which is making the jump to the more competitive Mesa League, led 10-0 at halftime.

“They played tough,” Mustangs coach Chris Moselle said of his third-year team. “Looking at last year, the games we lost were close. That’s what it came down to — defense.”

Otay Ranch put that aspect of its game on parade, with defensive steals setting up several breakaway goals.

Ryan Castro led the Mustangs with seven goals while Julian Abellar scored three times and Eddy Adellson added two goals.
“Our offense is developing,” said Moselle, a Hilltop alumnus. “We’re trying to implement a few different offenses.”

Castro, Abellar and Adellson comprise three of the team’s seven starters. Joining the trio are Gordon Davis, Emmanuel Martinez, Alex Castello and goalie Kevin Mosser.

Castro (First Team), Abellar (Second Team) and Mosser (honorable mention) are all-league returners.

Right now, Moselle said, Jared Allen and Tristan Hellum supplement the team’s starting talent by coming off the bench.
As for realistic goals, Moselle indicated that he believed if Otay Ranch were to play up to its potential that a playoff spot might not be out of the offering at the end of the season.

“We’d like to be second in the Mesa League,” Moselle said. "We’d like to play tough against Bonita Vista. We’d like to get into CIF. We hope to do well against Division I teams in our tournaments.”

The Mustangs still remain largely unknown throughout the section, especially by North County teams. Otay Ranch thus has something to prove — that it belongs.

If the chips fall where the Mustang coaching staff feels they may, the outcome could indeed be as exciting as it is rewarding.
“My guys are playing with a lot of pride right now,” Moselle said. “They’re proud of how the program has grown. It’s still growing.”

Hilltop coach John Salts had to be encouraged by the play of his team in the second half. After allowing seven goals in the second quarter, the Lancers held the higher-powered Mustangs scoreless in the third quarter with some gritty defense of their own.

Salts will be looking for his team to carry that momentum into Friday’s official regular season opener against Escondido at the Parkway pool. Game time is 5 p.m.

Otay Ranch opens its season with a road game at Monte Vista on Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 4 p.m.

League play starts in October.

South Bay water polo make summer splash
Football has its summer passing leagues and both baseball and lacrosse each have county-wide off-season programs designed to keep high school athletes in condition and their skills sharp as well as to introduce the sport to newcomers. Water polo is not to be excluded.

The Mustang Water Polo Club, under the direction of Ernie Medina and Chris Moselle, held workouts throughout the summer at the Parkway pool in downtown Chula Vista. Both men coach the sport at Otay Ranch High School (Medina the girls team and Moselle the boys team) but the club was open to anyone aged 10-17 with valid U.S. Water Polo membership.

Most of the players came from Otay Ranch, with a smattering of players from Hilltop. For everyone it was a chance to relax, enjoy cameraderie and tune-up for the upcoming high school season.

“We wanted to come right out of our swim season and get right into water polo,” Medina said. “The goal was to learn and have fun and to have an opportunity to compete against North County and East County schools.”

The results were definitely encouraging for the 2006 prep season as the Mustangs make the jump to the more competitive Mesa League opposite resident league powers Bonita Vista and Eastlake.

The Mustang boys club team faced off against club teams featuring players from Valhalla, Santa Fe Christian, El Cajon Valley, West Hills and Santana high schools in summer league play and capped the season with scrimmage wins against club teams from Eastlake and Ramona high schools.

The Mustang girls team finished 4-0 in summer league play en route to winning its bracket and finishing 2-1 in a league-ending tournament.

Prior to the summer league competition, many water polo players took part in the Long Beach Camp of Champions. Otay Ranch sent seven girls and six boys to the camp while both Eastlake and Hilltop were also well represented.

Moselle was looking for the summer program to help players, in his words, “get in shape and get smart.”

Key returners for Otay Ranch include All-South Bay League picks Ryan Castro, Julian Abellar and Kevin Mosser.

“I tell the guys to play common sense water polo — that’s where we’ve been weak the past couple seasons,” Moselle said.
Weak is not what Otay Ranch had been in the South Bay League. Both the boys and girls water polo teams contended for league titles last season while the Mustangs scored breakthrough league championships in both boys and girls swimming last spring.

Instead of taking that momentum back into South Bay League competition this fall, Otay Ranch must face taking on new challenges in jumping to a stronger league.

“I think I can say that the teams in the South Bay League are glad we’re gone,” Moselle said succinctly. “I’m disappointed we won’t have more of a sure shot at winning the league title but I’m looking forward to playing better competition in Bonita Vista and Eastlake. I’m looking to be in the same league of competition as long as we’re in that league.”

The Mustangs certainly have to be upbeat heading into official high school play after defeating Eastlake’s club team, 3-2, in a scrimmage Aug. 4 at the Parkway pool. Mustang defeated Ramona by a 9-8 score two days later at the Loma Verde pool.

The scrimmage against Eastlake likely jump-started a new rivalry. Otay Ranch and Eastlake high schools lie about a mile apart but until this season had played in different leagues. The game was tied 1-1 at halftime before Mustang won the spirited second half 2-1 with a good display of defense and clutch scoring.

Medina said the Mustang boys team showed steady improvement throughout the summer club season. “We know that Eastlake is very tough and that Bonita will be the top competition,” Medina said. “Mustang water polo will show up ready to compete.”

Girls preview
The girls high school water polo season does not begin until this winter but the Mustangs continue to work hard. Many in the program can hardly wait. In club play this summer, Mustang defeated Valhalla and Bonita Vista’s club teams by scores of 4-3 and 6-2, respectively. Mustang swamped Ramona, 8-3, to end the summer season.

Otay Ranch returns six All-South Bay League players: Elyse Dayrit (first team), Christina Eaton (second team), Roni Coffer (second team), Tina Poole (second team) and Rachael Medina (honorable mention).

In the game against Ramona, Coffer had three goals and two assists while Dayrit had two goals, one assist and three steals, Eaton had two goals and three steals and Rachael Medina had two steals and one assist. Carolyn Lechner made seven saves in the cage for the victors.

The Mustang girls club program runs Aug. 14 through Oct. 31 at the Parkway pool from 7-9 p.m. The club will compete in a fall league at Valhalla High School.