SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Water Polo

Titans gaining strength in numbers

By Phillip Brents

Posted Sept. 26, 2004

All one has to do to get an idea on the progress made by the Eastlake High boys water polo team is to count the number of players poolside. “We have enough this year for three full teams – varsity, junior varsity and novice,” Titans coach Lonny Wood said with excitement in his voice.

Eastlake finished 10-15 last season in what was admittedly a rebuilding year after the program secured its first-ever CIF playoff berth the previous season.

The Titans return a large number of players who began to gain experience last year, led by senior James Hiney and juniors Sam Gottlieb, Austin Legg and Beto Lopez. Among other returners to the program are seniors Juan Ibanez, Jack Gersten, Taylor Ward, Richard Higginbotham, juniors Tom Dziadkowiec, Jacob Wilbert and Anthony Baldwin and sophomores Gavin Fluhart, Ivan Llanos, Marc Uy, Freddy Uquillas, Richard Rangel and Pedro Lomeli.

Wood lists 35 players on the team’s roster this season. Newcomers include seniors Kyle Hughes, Oliver SantaCruz, juniors Kenny Miramontes, Guillermo Fernandez, Eric Abardo, sophomores Michael Angelone, Bryan Figueroa, Omar Contreras, Sergio Rodriguez, Christian Velasquez and freshmen Jonathan Williams, Benny Garduero, Nicholas Job, Michael Chiodo, Chad Ormsbee, Jason Bowman, Matt Stevens and Alfredo Perez.

Hiney scored five goals to lead Eastlake to a 12-6 season-opening win against Oceanside. Gottlieb and Lopez each scored two goals in that game while Dziadkowiec, Ibanez and Miramontes each scored once.

Legg had a season-high 13 saves in a 17-7 loss to Serra on Sept. 17.

“We’d like to continue with what we started last year. We’d like to keep pushing the program in a positive direction. We’d like to get into CIF one way or another,” Titans coach Lonny Wood said.