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2008 Prep Boys Water Polo
San Diego Section

Eastlake's Schmuckal named Mesa League Player of the Year

Posted Nov. 20, 2008
The Eastlake High School boys water polo team enjoyed a history-making season in 2008. The Titans captured the first-ever Mesa League title in school history en route to earning the No. 7 seed in the San Diego Section Division I playoffs. Much of the team's success belonged to the leadership -- both in and out of the water -- of senior Chris Schmuckal, who was named the 2008 Mesa League Player of the Year.

Eastlake coach Chris Barrick called Schmuckal a legitimate "college prospect."

The Titans placed three players on the seven-man Mesa League All-League First Team. Joining Schmuckal were senior Jon Garcia and junior Felix Dion. Three more Eastlake players earned recognition on the Mesa League All-League Second Team: seniors Sam Barrick, Ismael Alvarez and Justin Kruse.

Eastlake finished the season with a pair of victories against arch rival Bonita Vista, sweeping to a 6-0 league record. Prior to the playoffs, the Titans garnered a meteoric eighth-place finish in the 32-team Greater San Diego Open (the most successful finish in school history). Eastlake ended its season with a 14-11 record following an 8-7 playoff loss to 10th-seeded Escondido Nov. 13 at the Las Palmas Pool.

Schmuckal, who earned the Titans' Most Valuable Player award at this year's team awards banquet, led the Titans in scoring with 67 goals and 32 assists, averaging 2.79 goals per game, while collecting a team-best 69 steals. He scored on 50.4 percent of his shots. He also sparkled on defense when called upon and his defensive play in Eastlake's second-round game against 21-time defending league champion Bonita Vista was instrumental in the Titans' 6-4 overtime victory. The senior captain was named to the Greater San Diego Open all-tournament team.

Garcia ranked second in team scoring with 45 goals, 15 assists and 37 steals while Dion finished third in team scoring with 33 goals, 13 assists and 21 steals. Alvarez had 21 goals, 13 assists and 45 steals while Sam Barrick, playing only part of the season because of injury, totaled 13 goals, 13 assists and 20 steals. Kruse had 65 blocks in 12 games, allowing 48 goals, while sophomore goalie Ian Muhlbach had 122 blocks in 24 games, allowing 149 goals.

Eastlake out-scored its opponents 220-184, averaging 9.17 goals per game while allowing 7.67 goals per game.

Other team awards went to Muhlbach (most improved) and Alvarez (most inspirational) while Dion, Garcia and Barrick were recipients of the Coaches Award. Garcua led the Titans with four goals in the playoff loss to Escondido.

The elder Barrick called the Titans' season one of "adversity" with "many highs and lows."

"But this team is the best in Eastlake history, not only in talent but because they play unselfishly as a unit," Chris Barrick said. "When adversity strikes, these guys rally and always play hard for four quarters. As their coach, it has been a pleasure and a privilege to coach and watch them develop not only as players but as a team."

Bonita Vista, Eastlake, Hilltop advance to boys water polo playoffs

Posted Nov. 12, 2008
Three Metro Conference teams gained entry into this year’s San Diego Section Division I playoff field: Mesa League champion Eastlake and South Bay League co-champion Hilltop as designated league champions and Bonita Vista on an at-large basis.

Eastlake (14-10) drew the No. 7 seed — a high-water mark for the program — and was scheduled to play 10th-seeded Escondido (16-7) in a first-round match-up Thursday at the Las Palmas pool.

Bonita Vista (9-7) was seeded 14th and drew third-seeded Granite Hills (20-7) in its playoff opener.

Hilltop, which defeated Southwest by a score of 25-7 last Friday to cement its South Bay League title with Mar Vista (both teams finished with 5-1 league records), drew the No. 16 seed and was to face top-seeded Vista (19-9) in Thursday’s opening round. The Lancers finished regular season play 12-8 overall.

The league title was the first for Hilltop coach John Salts, who has been with the program since 2001.

Salts said he felt the Lancers’ co-championship with Mar Vista “was a long time coming.”

“We had incredibly talented teams in the past that never got the chance to prove themselves at the CIF level,” Salts said. “I’m very proud of this year’s group for stepping up and winning the championship. It’s only going to help the program grow. We’ve gone from one player who played year-round polo to 10 this year in our freshman and novice group. It’s a huge movement in the right direction.”

Sean Ellerbrock led the Lancers with six goals against Southwest while teammates Blaine Nissen, Chris Jaggers and Roman Gonzalez each had five goals.
Hilltop set up its co-championship by defeating Mar Vista, 9-6, on Oct. 30 and followed that with a 12-6 win over last year’s league champion, Mater Dei, on Nov. 6.

Ellerbrock scored six goals and registered two steals against Mater Dei while Jaggers had three goals and three steals in support of goalie Ben Santos (six saves).

Sergio Fourzan keyed Mater Dei with four goals. The Crusaders led 1-0 and twice tied the game in the early going at 2-2 and 3-3 before the Lancers reeled off three unanswered goals to go up 6-3.

Ellerbrock turned in one of the more inspirational performances by playing the two-meter set position with a fractured back in the must-win game against the Mariners. “I thought I would give it a go if I felt fine before the game and I went for it,” said Ellerbrock, who scored four pivotal goals in the fourth quarter.

Quarterfinal play continues Saturday with a quadruple-header at La Jolla High School featuring the top eight teams in both Division I (games 1:30 to 5:15 p.m.) and Division II (games 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.)

Metro Conference water polo titles coming into sharper focus
Titans down Barons in overtime thriller to claim Mesa League banner

Posted Nov. 6, 2008
The Hilltop Lancers could be headed for a South Bay League co-championship with the Mar Vista Mariners. What is more certain is that the Eastlake Titans and Bonita Vista Barons will not share this year’s Mesa League title.

The Titans and Barons met in second-round play Wednesday evening in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Southwestern College, with Eastlake pulling out a 6-4 overtime win to claim sole rights to this year’s league banner.

The game, with all its dramatic lead-ins, was likely the greatest game ever played between two Metro Conference opponents since league play resumed in the Sweetwater district in 1987.

It also was likely one of the best games played this season in the section. It will be remembered, savored and dissected for some time. It was everything a championship game should be.

The Titans’ sweep of the Barons ended Bonita Vista’s San Diego Section-record streak of 21 consecutive league titles.

Eastlake had concluded first-round league play with a spotless 3-0 record that included a 7-6 victory over Bonita Vista at the Las Palmas pool. A Bonita Vista win on Wednesday would have landed the teams in a tie for this year’s Mesa League title ... and extended the Barons’ marathon streak in the process.

Titans coach Chris Barrick called the deciding game a “nail-biter” and “a culmination of four years of hard work” since he took over the program.

“We really don’t have a bench,” Barrick said. “These guys have played iron-man water polo all year. We go after it for as long as it takes to get the job done — four quarters, five quarters or even six quarters, if we have to.”

The Titans had to do just that against an exceptionally-coached Barons squad whose players displayed an iron will to win. Bonita Vista held three one-goal leads in the contest and fought back to send the game into overtime after the Titans took their first lead of the match-up late in the fourth quarter.

The game, heavy with standout defensive play and superlative goalkeeping at both ends, was tied 1-1 at halftime.

The game was tied four times.

The deadlock was finally broken on overtime goals by Eastlake’s Gabe Campos y Maria and Ismael Alvarez, whose half-court shot had tied the score at 3-3 to close the third quarter.

Dane Schmidt led Bonita Vista with a pair of goals while Memo Vasquez and Gabriel Escaba each scored one goal. Vasquez fouled out midway through the fourth quarter.

Tears were shed by several BV players after the game but Baron coach Dan Way could only be proud of the effort they made. “They left it out there in the pool,” Way said succinctly.

The Barons had a chance to win in regulation play but a penalty shot hit the water in front of the Titan cage and skipped just wide of the post.

Eastlake’s Justin Kruse finished the game with 10 saves, including three in overtime. Bonita Vista’s Cameron Freels stamped his name on the game when he rejected two consecutive cannon shots in the early minutes of the contest.

Alvarez and Campos y Maria led Eastlake with two goals each while Felix Dion and Jon Garcia both scored one goal.

Alvarez, Garcia and Kruse, along with Chris Schmuckal and Sam Barrick, are all seniors who joined Eastlake as freshmen. Schmuckal, the team’s captain, drew more of a defensive assignment in Wednesday’s thriller but helped propel the Titans to an eighth-place finish at last weekend’s 32-team Greater San Diego Open with his offensive prowess.

Schmuckal and Alvarez each had two goals in a 5-4 win over perennial section power Torrey Pines while Schmuckal and Garcia each scored five goals in a 14-12 victory over Grossmont.

“The first time we beat them, it sent chills down my spine,” Schmuckal said in reference to the Titans’ first-round win over the Barons. “We had never beaten them since I had been here. I’d never had a feeling like that in my life before. This time it was more a feeling of relief. We came through. The goals we set four years ago came true.”

As league champions, the Titans earn an automatic entry into the upcoming Division I playoffs while the Barons will more than likely receive an at-large invitation.
The section seeding meeting is Monday. The Division I playoffs are set to open on Thursday.

Wet shots
Hilltop defeated South Bay League leader Mar Vista, 9-6, on Oct. 30 to pull to within two victories of settling for a co-championship with the Mariners. Sean Ellerbrock scored four goals — all in the decisive fourth quarter — to lead the Lancers, who fought back from three early deficits to take an 8-5 lead with 3:24 left in the game.

Alex Trammel keyed Mar Vista with four goals. He entered the game averaging 5.25 goals per game and gave Hilltop fits with his powerful long-range shooting ability before the Lancers’ defense rose to the occasion.

"For this game I don't think we lacked any motivation," Hilltop coach John Salts said. "We had a lack of concentration at times but the guys still found a way to win. Everybody brought their A-game, especially in the fourth quarter."

Mar Vista was coming off a ninth-place finish in the East County Invitational and dropped to 13-9 overall following the second-round league loss to the Lancers. The Mariners defeated Mater Dei, last year's South Bay League champions, 17-7, in their previous league encounter.

Ellerbrock led by example in the pool. He entered the second half of the season suffering from a fractured back and has limited his play as a two-meter guard but played the position against Mar Vista.

Hilltop defeated Olympian, 20-2, in a non-league game on Oct. 27. Justin Jimenez and Chris Jaggers each scored five goals while Roman Gonzalez had three goals and one assist and Sean Ellerbrock and Blaine Nissen each contributed a goal and three assists. Jimenez finished as high point man by also collecting an assist.

Otay Ranch Mustangs aim for playoff berth

Posted Oct. 23, 2008
Otay Ranch head coach Chris Moselle may admit his team is not championship-caliber quite yet but he does believe his Mustangs deserve serious consideration for an at-large berth in this year’s San Diego Section Division I playoffs.

“We beat El Camino heads up, no one can take that away from us,” he said in reference to the Mustangs’ 5-3 non-league victory over the Wildcats on Oct. 14.

El Camino is one of the teams vying for a berth in the upcoming Division I playoffs but Otay Ranch likely will be waiting in line behind fellow Mesa League rivals Bonita Vista and Eastlake for a spot in post-season play. Both the Barons and Titans also are contending for Division I berths. Bonita Vista reached midseason ranked eighth in the section while Eastlake was ranked 10th.

The Titans shaded the Barons, 7-6, in a first-round league match-up on Oct. 16, with the teams slated to meet Nov. 6 at Southwestern College to determine if Eastlake wins this year's league banner outright or if there is a tie. The Mesa League champion receives automatic entry into the section playoffs. The runner-up and third-place teams will need to qualify on an at-large basis.

The Mustangs dropped a 10-4 decision to the Titans to face off league play on Oct. 2 and fell by a 15-4 score to the Barons in first-round play.
But Moselle thinks his team deserves to be counted among the top 16 squads in Division I and feels there's room for Otay Ranch in post-season play. Should the Mustangs snare a playoff berth, it would be the first time in school history.

“If we don’t make the playoffs, it will probably be because of our loss to Helix at the beginning of the season,” said Moselle in reference to Otay Ranch’s 8-5 loss to the Highlanders ion Sept. 16. “We played Mira Mesa to five (a 14-9 loss on Sept. 25) but it could have been closer.”

The Mustangs finished 1-4 at the 32-team Poway Invitational in September, losing to Eastlake in their final game to finish 16th. Moselle said his squad is a different team since then.

“We’re playing a lot better when we have the ball. We’re working more as a team,” Moselle said. “The guys have more confidence. We’ve got some great things going for this team. When I leave the pool at the end of the day, I have to smile because I’m getting the best out of what they have.”

A top three showing in the El Capitan Cowboy Invitational at the end of October could be just what the Mustangs need to get enough momentum — and good reviews — to make the playoffs.

“I think we’ll finish the season with a winning record. That will be nice,” Moselle said.

Top players include leading scorer Alex Castello, who Moselle said has added a new dimension to his play -- and corresponding leadership in the pool — this season as well as Marco Hernandez Mike Kowalski.

Castello is on pace to set single-season school records for goals and steals. Following the Mustangs’ 7-0 shutout victory over Hilltop on Oct. 21, Castello had 80 goals and 51 steals.

Hernandez ranked second on the team with 30 goals.

Junior goalie Javier Inzunza has been a key addition to the lineup at midseason. He had 11 saves in the non-league win over Hilltop and took a shutout into the final quarter against El Camino.

Otay Ranch (9-8) topped Chula Vista, 23-4, to close out the first round of league play on Oct. 16. Hernandez led the Mustangs with five goals and two steals while Kowalski had four goals and Castello and Victor Olveras each scored three goals.

The Division I playoffs are set to start Nov. 13, with championship games scheduled Nov. 22 at La Jolla High School.

Lancers sink Crusaders, 16-4, in ‘must-win’ league game

Posted Oct. 22, 2008
Desperate situations call for desperate measures and both the Hilltop and Mater Dei boys water polo teams found themselves in just that predicament in their high profile Oct. 16 South Bay League match-up at the Parkway pool.

Both the Lancers and Crusaders figured to pair up for this year’s league championship title after Mater Dei edged Hilltop for last year’s South Bay League banner. Instead, both teams found themselves looking up at an unheralded Mar Vista team as the opening round of league play came to a close.

Mar Vista topped Mater Dei, 20-15, on Oct. 2. The Mariners then put a detour in Hilltop’s championship plans with a gritty 6-5 win Oct. 9 in Imperial Beach.

Thus, the winner of the Oct. 16 match-up at the Parkway pool would be playing for the right to challenge Mar Vista for a share of the league championship in the second-round of league play.

Hilltop, by virtue of its highly-focused 16-4 victory, will get the opportunity to battle Mar Vista for supremacy in the South Bay League when the teams pair up Oct. 30 at the Parkway pool.
The Lancers and Crusaders will put a cap on 2008 league play when they rematch Nov. 6.

With two league setbacks, Mater Dei now plays the wildcard factor, with the ability to knock either Mar Vista or Hilltop out of contention for the league championship.

The outcome of Thursday’s match-up between the Mariners and Crusaders obviously will set the table for Hilltop’s encounter with Mar Vista a week later.

A tri-championship would not be out of the realm of possibility.

“Teamwork — that’s what did it for us,” Hilltop team captain Chris Jaggers said following the win against Mater Dei.

“Teamwork,” echoed teammate Justin Jimenez.

Blaine Nissen referenced the situation in black-and-white terms. “Before the game our coach told us that it was either first place or last place,” he said.

The South Bay League champion receives an automatic berth in the upcoming San Diego Section playoffs. The league’s runner-up team, given the competitive nature of teams outside the South Bay region, would likely face severe obstacles in securing an at-large playoff berth.

A tie for the league title could still have one team sitting out post-season play. Thus, the stakes are even higher in each South Bay League match-up over the course of the second round of league play.
Hilltop (2-1, 6-7) certainly played like it deserved to be a playoff entrant against Mater Dei, which was coming off a 17-4 league win against Southwest the previous week.

The Lancers inarguably played their best game of the season, leading 5-1 at the end of the first quarter and 8-2 at halftime. The second half was a mirror image of the first half, with no let-up on the part of the victors.
The Crusaders (1-2, 4-3) were limited to one goal in each quarter.

Sean Ellerbrock paced Hilltop’s offense with five goals, followed by Jaggers and Jimenez each with three goals. Nissen and Roman Gonzalez each scored twice.
Goalie Ben Santos was credited with eight saves.

Ivan Chavez led the Crusaders with a pair of goals while Sergio Fourzan and Andrew Thein each were credited with a goal.

Chavez and Jose Martinez paced Mater Dei with four goals apiece in the win over Southwest while Fourzan was credited with three goals. Alexis Padilla led the Crusaders with five in their loss to the Mariners while teammate Raymond Lugo had four goals.

In its loss to Mar Vista, Hilltop rallied from a 5-2 deficit to tie the game at five goals apiece with 2:45 left. However, the Mariners captured the thriller on a goal with 14 seconds to play.
The Lancers missed one five-meter penalty shot in the game.

“Frustrating,” was the only word Hilltop coach John Salts could say in describing his team’s loss to the Mariners.

The ball is on Mar Vista’s side of the pool now.

Eastlake gets history-making win over BV
Posted Oct. 22, 2008

Untimely injuries have taken some of the luster off what Eastlake High School boys water polo coach Chris Barrick expected for his team this season. But all that changed Oct. 16 when the Titans topped Bonita Vista, 7-6, in a match-up of Mesa League unbeatens at the Las Palmas pool in National City.

Barrick called the history-making triumph “a great and needed win for us.”

“We were down 2-0 after the first quarter and 3-1 at halftime and had to work our way back,” Barrick said. “We had our offense working but could not put the ball in the goal in the first half. Our defense was solid and shut down their inside (two-meter) attack. We just kept working and actually had a 7-5 lead with two minutes to go and they came back and got one with 1:11 to go. We played good defense and then conserved the clock on our last possession and won by one.”

The teams rematch Nov. 6 at Southwestern College, with Eastlake needing a win to secure an outright league championship.

Jon Garcia paced the 10th-ranked Titans with three goals against the eighth-ranked Barons while Sam Barrick (back from the injured list) had two goals. Chris Schmuckal and Felix Dion each scored one goal while goalie Justin Kruse (who missed the first half of the season) had eight blocks.

“It’s been four years of hard work for my seniors, but they finally beat Bonita,” Barrick said. “Now we have to prepare to do it again and win the league title outright.”
The rematch looks to be the most important game in school history.

Sam Barrick, who had been idled much of the season by an injury, returned with three goals in a 16-1 win against Chula Vista on Oct. 9.

Bonita Vista, which recorded an eighth-place finish in Septembert’s 32-team Poway Invitational, opened league play with runaway wins against Chula Vista (15-2) and Otay Ranch (15-4).

Barons are still the team to beat in Mesa League

Posted Oct. 8, 2008
Mesa League play faced off Oct. 2 in boys water polo but the favorite to win this year's league championship -- once again, as it turns out -- was determined by the results of the Poway Invitational back in September.

The Bonita Vista Barons, owners of the San Diego Section record for most consecutive league championships at 21 and counting, placed eighth in the 32-team draw. Eastlake placed 15th and Otay Ranch finished 16th.

The Barons, who lost standout goalie Austin Toogood (now at Grossmont College), appear to still have enough talent to grit out key victories. Bonita Vista defeated San Pasqual and Beckman (irvine) by scores of 17-2 and 8-5, respectively, to win their opening two games at the Poway Invitational. The Barons dropped their final three matches in the championship bracket, falling 11-7 to eventual second-place finisher Torrey Pines, 17-12 to eventual sixth-place finisher University of Irvine and 15-11 to Westview in the seventh-place game.

Cathedral Catholic claimed the tourney title with a 14-8 victory against Torrey Pines.

Standouts on this year's BV squad include Jono Newman, Guillermo Vasquez and Dane Schmidt. Should the Barons capture their 22nd straight league title, strong consideration must go to Baron coach Dan Way as Metro Coach of the Year.

Bonita Vista opened league play with a 15-2 win against Chula Vista at the Las Palmas pool in National City.

Eastlake defeated Otay Ranch, 10-4, in the teams' league opener at Loma Verde pool. Eastlake and Bonita Vista met twice last season, with a pair of narrow Baron wins determining the league banner. The teams match up Oct. 16 at Las Palmas and Nov. 6 at Southwestern College this season.

The Titans have battled untimely injuries all season long and such was the case for their leauge opener against the Mustangs. Eastlake used field players Ismael Alvarez and Felix Dion to man the cage in place of injured goalie Ian Muhlbach. Alvarez played three quarters and performed exceptionally well.

Eastlake led 5-0 after the opening quarter and the strong start proved to be the difference in the game.

Jon Garcia and Chris Schmuckal each had three goals.

"I've pushed guys who should be playing JV into the varsity lineup and they've responded well. I can't honestly ask for anything more from my team," Eastlake coach Chris Barrick said.

Alex Castello keyed Otay Ranch (6-7) with four goals.

Mesa League Scoreboard
Thursday, Oct. 2
Bonita Vista 15, Chula Vista 2
Eastlake 10, Otay Ranch 4

South Bay League Scoreboard
Thursday, Oct. 2
Hillotp 16, Southwest 3
Mar Vista 20, Mater Dei 15

Mater Dei, Hilltop gear up for water polo battle

Posted Oct. 1, 2008
Defending South Bay League champion Mater Dei has started the season with a 3-1 record with wins against Chula Vista (17-6), Monte Vista (13-12) and Mt. Miguel (15-8) and a 17-2 loss to El Capitan.

The Crusaders’ three seniors this season are Alex Perigrin, Jose Gonzalez and Alexis Diaz.

Team leaders this year, according to coach Guy Souza, are junior Sergio Fourzan, who has not lost a sprint this season, junior utility Kalum Figgy, sophomore Raymond Lugo (center), sophomore goalie Mark Laturno and utility sophomore Andrew Thein. Fourzan and Gonzalez each had four goals in the win against Chula Vista.
Figgy, Lugo and Laturno are tri-team captains.

Mater Dei and Hilltop, last year’s league runner-up, match up Oct. 16 and Nov. 6.

Hilltop entered Thursday’s league opener against Southwest riding a two-game winning streak after defeating El Cajon Valley, 21-18, on Sept. 24 and Chula Vista, 18-3, on Sept. 25.

Sean Ellerbrock keyed the Lancers’ offense with 11 goals against the Braves and had seven goals against the Spartans, while Blaine Nissen had three goals against ECV and four goals against Chula Vista. Robert Stenberg and Roman Gonzalez both had two goals against the Braves while Justin Jimenez had three goals and Chris Jaggers scored twice against the Spartans.

Goalie Ben Santos had 13 saves against ECV and 10 saves against Chula Vista as Hilltop improved to 4-4.

“The kids were playing tired at the beginning of the season but I think we’re starting to click now,” Lancers coach John Salts said. “We were clicking offensively against El Cajon Valley and I think our defense suffered because guys were getting caught up in scoring goals. But against Chula, even though they’re still a building team, we were clicking both on offense and defense.”


Chula Vista, which fell to 1-3, received goals from Bradley Bonney, Sergio Candaleria and Wesley Moore.

Bonney and Mario Armstrong both had two goals for the Spartans in the season-opening loss to Mater Dei on Sept. 9 while Bonney had three goals and Moore had two goals in a 14-5 loss to Orange Glen on Sept. 11.
Bonney led the offense with six goals in a 12-9 win against Mt. Miguel.

Lancers pick up the pace with 17-5 win over Grizzlies

Posted Sept. 25, 2008
The Hilltop High School boys water polo team was decidedly not firing on all cylinders when it dropped a 5-3 non-league decision to the Oceanside Pirates on Sept. 16. The Lancers had their chances on offense with 16 shots on goal but capitalized only three times.

Oceanside is not known as a section powerhouse.

Hilltop lost 14-0 to Serra in another non-league encounter the following day at the Parkway pool.

Poor shot selection was the biggest factor in the loss to Oceanside; sheer sluggishness was one of the leading culprits in the loss to the Conquistadors.

“The team is starting off very lethargic right now, which is a combination of being under-conditioned and an average of two to three matches per week,” Lancer coach John Salts said. “Give us a couple more weeks and I feel the conditioning will take care of itself and the kinks will do so as well. Our guys are really just learning to find their niche. By the time league gets here, we will be firing on all cylinders. The biggest positive going for us is their love of the game and attitude. The players understand they will take some lumps early in the season as they are learning to click.”

It was Hilltop that dealt some lumps to Mission Bay in a non-league encounter Sept. 18 at the Parkway pool, winning 17-5.

The win raised the Lancers’ early season record to 2-4.

Blaine Nissen led Hilltop with four goals while Sean Ellerbrock had three goals against the Grizzlies. Nine players overall scored for the Lancers.

“We talked about some things after the loss to Serra and that seemed to give the guys some renewed focus,” Salts said. “Regardless of how strong your opponent is, the bottom line is that you have to play at the same level every game.”

Goalie Ben Santos had 13 saves in the loss to Oceanside, which Salts termed a “strong defensive match for Hilltop.”

South Bay League play starts this coming week.

Titans, despite depth drain, look to continue to build on their success

Posted Sept. 18, 2008
With back-to-back San Diego Section Division I playoff appearances, the Eastlake Titans boys water polo program has clearly turned the corner. All that appears left unfinished is a Mesa League championship.

Eastlake made it close last season — dropping a pair of exceedingly narrow decisions against Bonita Vista, owners of a section-record 21 consecutive league championship titles.

The Titans expect to challenge once again this season.

“Our starting core is solid this year,” Eastlake coach Chris Barrick said.

This year’s Titan squad is led by seniors Chris Schmuckal, Sam Barrick, Jon Garcia and Ismael Alvarez. Ian Muhlbach takes over in the cage for Justin Kruse, who has elected to concentrate on baseball. Juniors Felix Dion and Gabe de Maria y Campos round out the starting line-up.

“Ian has stepped up nicely in the goal,” the elder Barrick said.

Eastlake opened the season by participating in the annual Draz Classic at La Jolla High School on Aug. 30 and defeated Mt. Carmel in the series of eight scrimmage contests.

The Titans’ regular season opener on Sept. 4 was a rematch of a first-round playoff game two years ago, won 21-11 by Granite Hills. That game was close through the opening half (10-8 in favor of the winners).

This year’s contest was close through three-and-a-half quarters before the Eagles finally securing some breathing room. “We made some mistakes at the end and didn’t convert on three straight man-up situations,” the Eastlake coach said. “All correctable stuff.”

The Titans promptly bounced back with a 13-6 non-league victory at Helix on Sept. 9 as Garcia and Schmuckal each scored four goals. However, the South Bay squad suffered a key loss when the younger Barrick went down with a dislocated shoulder — the same one he dislocated last year that sidelined him for most of last season.

“That really hurts us,” the elder Barrick said. “We only had two bench players to start the season and now only have one. Our focus this year is on Bonita, like always. It should be a couple of very competitive games.”
Schmuckal, who Chris Barrick rates as the team’s best player, has started the season “very strong,” in the coach’s words.

“He will be able to play Division 1 college water polo next year and has generated some interest from a few schools,” the Titan coach said.

But the lack of depth will likely haunt the team in high-profile match-ups.

“It’s going to be a challenge getting through the season with only eight players — we’ll see what happens,” Barrick said. “On a bright note, we have 11 new freshmen this year and some very good prospects in this group. It should be a very solid group in the next couple of years. We have a total of 33 players this year and are fielding three teams — varsity, junior varsity and novice — for the first time in school history which is great.”

Poway Invitational
The Titans had what Barrick termed a “disappointing” showing at the section-wide Poway Invitational, held Sept. 11-13. Eastlake finished 15th in the 32-team tournament while playing without a pair of key players due to an injury and a family commitment.

Sam Barrick, the coach’s son, was out with a dislocated shoulder, while Felix Dion was in Canada on family business and Ismael Alvarez injured his right hand and therefore saw limited playing time. As a result, the Titans finished 2-3 in their five tourney games.

“We played our last two games with a JV player and no subs on the bench,” Chris Barrick said.

Eastlake topped Patrick Henry, 14-7, in its tourney opener on Sept. 11 and, in the second day of competition on Sept. 12, dropped a 13-5 decision against eventual tourney champion Cathedral Catholic and lost by one goal, 6-5, to Santa Fe Christian. The Titans closed out tourney play with victories against University City and Mesa League rival Otay Ranch on the last day of play on Sept. 13.

Cathedral Catholic won the tournament with a 14-8 victory against Torrey Pines.

“We don’t have the depth to play without our starters,” the elder Barrick said.

That hasn’t stopped the Titans from still making a bid for a section playoff berth. Eastlake topped Rancho Bernardo, 14-13, after two overtime periods on Sept. 16 in a non-tournament game. The Titans entered the fourth quarter trailing 10-6 but tied the score 10-10 at the end of regulation play.

The teams played two three-minute quarters in overtime to a 13-13 draw but the Titans prevailed in the second overtime period.

“We had Jon Garcia and Ismael Alvarez foul out in the fourth quarter,” the Eastlake coach said. “I had to bring three JV kids up on the bench to fill in and we won on a great shot by Gabe de Maria y Campos on our first possession after losing the sprint and stopping RB on their first possession. It was probably the best win I have had at Eastlake in the four years I’ve been coaching here.”

Schmuckal had five goals and, in the coach’s words, “refused to lose.”

“He played a phenomenal game on both sides of the ball and the team responded to his leadership,” the elder Barrick said.

Garcia had four goals and Alvarez had three goals.

“It was a much needed win for us after a disappointing tournament,” Chris Barrick said. “Our focus right now is to try and get our starters healthy in the next few weeks and get ready for Bonita and the second half of the season. Goals are to improve upon what we did last year and keep building the program at Eastlake. If our kids play to their potential, we’ll do all right.”

The Titans and Barons squared off in a pair of nail-biters last season for the Mesa League title, with Bonita Vista eking out 4-2 and 4-3 victories.

Eastlake and Bonita Vista match up Oct. 16 in first-round league play at the Las Palmas pool in National City and rematch Nov. 6 at Southwestern College.

Bonita Vista finished as the top Metro Conference team at the Poway Invitational, placing eighth following a 14-10 loss to Westview. Granite Hills finished fifth following an 11-8 victory against University of Irvine.

Making waves in South Bay League water polo title chase

Posted Sept. 12, 2008
Boys water polo was one of the few sports that was spared the mandatory switch involving Hilltop and Mater Dei going from the South Bay League to the Mesa League and, conversely, Sweetwater and San Ysidro taking their place in the South Bay League. Since neither Sweetwater nor San Ysidro currently field boys water polo teams, it was decided that both Hilltop and Mater Dei would remain in the South Bay League.

It could work out to an advantage for Hilltop, in particular, as the Lancers strive to win a league championship. At the least, it should make for a great encore to last year’s battle between Hilltop and Mater Dei for said league banner.

Throw an always-game Mar Vista squad into the mix and you have the makings of a highly competitive race for this year’s South Bay League championship.

Not so if Hilltop and Mater Dei had moved to the Mesa League this season.

“We should be competitive,” said Hilltop coach John Salts, whose team opened the season with a pair of one-goal losses to Steele Canyon and West Hills in non-league play earlier this week. “It’s my understanding that both Mater Dei and Mar Vista lost a lot of people (to graduation) as well, so they are probably in the same boat as us. It should be a very competitive league this season.”
At present, there doesn’t appear to be a set favorite.

Mater Dei slipped past Hilltop, 8-6, in the teams’ initial encounter last season. The teams’ second-round league game fell victim to the across-the-board cancellation of games by the San Diego Section because of the wildfire catastrophe. The Crusaders were declared league champions in view of the cancelled game.

The decision sparked waves at the time but it is futile to second guess that decision at this point. It is only appropriate to get on with the new season — and possibly crown a new champion.

And possibly not.

Hilltop opened the season with an 8-7 loss to Steele Canyon on Monday in a game played at Monte Vista High School. The Lancers fell by the same score to West Hills in a game played Tuesday at the Parkway pool.
Early-season fatigue appeared to be the contributing factor in both losses, according to Salts.

“Our team is doing really well in the first half of games. I’m proud of that,” Salts said. “We still need to work on our second half, especially our second-half conditioning. The guys are tiring. It’s early in the season. You might expect that. We lost a lot of players. We have some returning players. We have some new players. My No. 1 goal is to get the players, particularly the new players, to learn the game and enjoy the game. I think that will be the biggest thing for us — learning the game.”

The Lancers will appear to have plenty of time for that with a schedule chock full of non-league game. Salts has scheduled 19 games besides two preseason scrimmages. Six of the last 10 games are league games.

Top returners for Hilltop include two-meter defender/point man Blaine Nissen, strong side wing Sean Ellerbrock, weak side wing Chris Jaggers and two-meter set Justin Jimenez.

Impact newcomers include junior goalie Ben Santos, junior drivers Roman Gonzalez and Alex Kennedy and senior driver Nick Stenberg. Austin Clark is the back-up goalie and otherwise utility field player.

Jimenez had three goals in Tuesday’s game against West Hills while Nissen scored twice and Ellerbrock and Jaggers both scored single goals. Santos had 15 saves against the Wolf Pack after making 18 saves the day before against Steele Canyon.

The Lancers lost an offensive edge when Jimenez fouled out late in Tuesday’s contest.

His teammates helped pick up the slack, however.

“Sean Ellerbrock and Blaine Nissen are already in midseason form,” Salts said. “Chris Jaggers has become our team leader in and out of the pool. Ben Santos has been impressive to start the season. He made some great one-on-one saves against Steele Canyon. They scored about five of their goals on rebounds.”

The Lancers are once again fielding varsity, junior varsity and novice teams. Hilltop swept the JV and novice contests in Monday’s season opener. Andrew Aguilar scored four goals and Clark had nine saves as the Lancers captured the JV match-up by a score of 8-5. Robbie Dropp had four goals, Ryan Wertz had three goals and Stuart Sokil and Tanner Franklin both had two goals as Hilltop claimed the novice game by an 11-5 score.

For West Hills, Dustin Freeman had two goals and three assists and teammates Kyle Berger and Guillermo Lopez each had two goals and two assists in Tuesday’s varsity game.

The Wolf Pack (1-0) opened the game with a 2-1 first-quarter edge before Hilltop reeled off four unanswered goals to take a 5-2 halftime lead. West Hills carried the momentum in the second half, netting three of the four goals scored in the third quarter to take a 6-5 lead. The Lancers tied the game twice in the fourth quarter at 6-6 and 7-7 but West Hills’ Shane Brown got the game-winner with 3:25 to play in the game.

Wet shots
•Otay Ranch opened regular season play last Friday with an 18-6 non-league victory against San Marcos at Palomar College. Alex Castello keyed the Mustangs with nine goals. Otay Ranch topped Mar Vista, 16-3, on Tuesday.

•Eastlake, which has qualified as an at-large team for the Division I playoffs the past two seasons, opened 2008 with a loss to Granite Hills and a multi-goal. win against Helix in a pair of non-league games.

Making waves in South Bay League water polo title chase

Posted Sept. 12, 2008
Boys water polo was one of the few sports that was spared the mandatory switch involving Hilltop and Mater Dei going from the South Bay League to the Mesa League and, conversely, Sweetwater and San Ysidro taking their place in the South Bay League. Since neither Sweetwater nor San Ysidro currently field boys water polo teams, it was decided that both Hilltop and Mater Dei would remain in the South Bay League.

It could work out to an advantage for Hilltop, in particular, as the Lancers strive to win a league championship. At the least, it should make for a great encore to last year’s battle between Hilltop and Mater Dei for said league banner.

Throw an always-game Mar Vista squad into the mix and you have the makings of a highly competitive race for this year’s South Bay League championship.

Not so if Hilltop and Mater Dei had moved to the Mesa League this season.

“We should be competitive,” said Hilltop coach John Salts, whose team opened the season with a pair of one-goal losses to Steele Canyon and West Hills in non-league play earlier this week. “It’s my understanding that both Mater Dei and Mar Vista lost a lot of people (to graduation) as well, so they are probably in the same boat as us. It should be a very competitive league this season.”
At present, there doesn’t appear to be a set favorite.

Mater Dei slipped past Hilltop, 8-6, in the teams’ initial encounter last season. The teams’ second-round league game fell victim to the across-the-board cancellation of games by the San Diego Section because of the wildfire catastrophe. The Crusaders were declared league champions in view of the cancelled game.

The decision sparked waves at the time but it is futile to second guess that decision at this point. It is only appropriate to get on with the new season — and possibly crown a new champion.

And possibly not.

Hilltop opened the season with an 8-7 loss to Steele Canyon on Monday in a game played at Monte Vista High School. The Lancers fell by the same score to West Hills in a game played Tuesday at the Parkway pool.
Early-season fatigue appeared to be the contributing factor in both losses, according to Salts.

“Our team is doing really well in the first half of games. I’m proud of that,” Salts said. “We still need to work on our second half, especially our second-half conditioning. The guys are tiring. It’s early in the season. You might expect that. We lost a lot of players. We have some returning players. We have some new players. My No. 1 goal is to get the players, particularly the new players, to learn the game and enjoy the game. I think that will be the biggest thing for us — learning the game.”

The Lancers will appear to have plenty of time for that with a schedule chock full of non-league game. Salts has scheduled 19 games besides two preseason scrimmages. Six of the last 10 games are league games.
Top returners for Hilltop include two-meter defender/point man Blaine Nissen, strong side wing Sean Ellerbrock, weak side wing Chris Jaggers and two-meter set Justin Jimenez.

Impact newcomers include junior goalie Ben Santos, junior drivers Roman Gonzalez and Alex Kennedy and senior driver Nick Stenberg. Austin Clark is the back-up goalie and otherwise utility field player.

Jimenez had three goals in Tuesday’s game against West Hills while Nissen scored twice and Ellerbrock and Jaggers both scored single goals. Santos had 15 saves against the Wolf Pack after making 18 saves the day before against Steele Canyon.

The Lancers lost an offensive edge when Jimenez fouled out late in Tuesday’s contest.

His teammates helped pick up the slack, however.

“Sean Ellerbrock and Blaine Nissen are already in midseason form,” Salts said. “Chris Jaggers has become our team leader in and out of the pool. Ben Santos has been impressive to start the season. He made some great one-on-one saves against Steele Canyon. They scored about five of their goals on rebounds.”

The Lancers are once again fielding varsity, junior varsity and novice teams. Hilltop swept the JV and novice contests in Monday’s season opener. Andrew Aguilar scored four goals and Clark had nine saves as the Lancers captured the JV match-up by a score of 8-5. Robbie Dropp had four goals, Ryan Wertz had three goals and Stuart Sokil and Tanner Franklin both had two goals as Hilltop claimed the novice game by an 11-5 score.

For West Hills, Dustin Freeman had two goals and three assists and teammates Kyle Berger and Guillermo Lopez each had two goals and two assists in Tuesday’s varsity game.

The Wolf Pack (1-0) opened the game with a 2-1 first-quarter edge before Hilltop reeled off four unanswered goals to take a 5-2 halftime lead. West Hills carried the momentum in the second half, netting three of the four goals scored in the third quarter to take a 6-5 lead. The Lancers tied the game twice in the fourth quarter at 6-6 and 7-7 but West Hills’ Shane Brown got the game-winner with 3:25 to play in the game.

Wet shots
•Otay Ranch opened regular season play last Friday with an 18-6 non-league victory against San Marcos at Palomar College. Alex Castello keyed the Mustangs with nine goals. Otay Ranch topped Mar Vista, 16-3, on Tuesday.

•Eastlake, which has qualified as an at-large team for the Division I playoffs the past two seasons, opened 2008 with a loss to Granite Hills and a multi-goal. win against Helix in a pair of non-league games.

Mustangs look to be competitive once again
Posted Sept. 12, 2008
While the Otay Ranch Mustangs may not be considered an outright contender for this year’s Mesa League title, they should once again represent themselves well in the water. Otay Ranch just missed earning a berth in last year’s San Diego Section Division I playoffs, finishing 8-9 overall, 2-2 in league play.

This year’s team is keyed by nine varsity returners. Coach Chris Moselle listed five impact performers: senior driver Alex Castello, senior point-man Marco Hernandez, senior two-meter set Victor Olvera, junior strong-side driver Fernando Padilla and sophomore weak-side driver Michael Kowalski.

Castello is a multi-sport standout at Otay Ranch High School, commanding a large figure both in the pool and on the lacrosse pitch. Kowalski was the Mustangs’ MVP during the 2008 spring swim season.

“Even though we have a core of seniors, I still consider us to be a young team,” Moselle said. “The guys have a lot of heart. I expect them to play hard in every game. I expect my top three guys to control the ball and communicate and lead the rest of the returners. That said, I also expect them to make some mistakes.”

Otay Ranch opened the season on Sept. 5 with an 18-6 non-league victory against San Marcos at Palomar College. Castello led the offensive attack with nine goals while Olvera also chipped in with multiple goals.

“We had some pretty good counter-attacks and we’re not known as a counter-attack team,” said Moselle, whose team continued non-league play with a 16-3 win at Mar Vista on Sept. 9. “We got some pretty good shots from two meters. Even though we allowed six goals, our defense played decently.”

Junior Christian Baca takes over in the cage this season and has played well so far, according to the Mustang coach.

“He’s come a long way,” Moselle said of Baca. “He’s intelligent and got some good reactions. I was hoping to get someone like that to play the position and we did.”