SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Water Polo

Matadors swimming upstream

By Phillip Brents

Posted Oct. 6, 2002

All athletic programs – regardless of their size – set goals, no matter how modest. The Mt. Miguel High School boys water polo team is no different.

The Matadors won six games last season to match the win total posted during the preceding half decade.

"Our goal this year is to break our win total of last year. We won six games last year. It had been about eight years since the team had won that many in a season. Our goal is to get 10 wins this year," said second year coach Edgard Espinosa, who coached at Eastlake High for eight years before helping breathe new life into the Mt. Miguel program.

With victories against El Cajon Valley (15-3), Chula Vista (19-3) and El Camino (17-5), the Matadors were halfway to matching last year’s win total with more than half a season to play.

Seniors Jason Poovey and Eric Vryheid serve as Mt. Miguel's co-captains this year. Vryheid and Chad Spring, the team's only junior, are both having standout seasons in the early-season absence of senior goalie Nick Brown, the team’s only all-league returning player. Spring is averaging five goals per game while Vryheid has become a standout at the two-meter guard position.

"Eric has shut down other teams in the hole even through our defense overall isn’t that good," Espinosa said in praise.

The rest of the Matadors' roster is filled with sophomores. Dominic Crawford, newly inserted into the two-meter offensive slot, produced immediate dividends with three goals, one assist and one steal in an 11-6 loss to Eastlake Oct. 1 at Southwestern College. Spring also had three goals against the Titans while recording one steal. Reserve goalie Chris Weeks had five saves.

Other contributors include Martin Castillo, Jason Venable and Jerry Vanderhyde.

With continued improvement, not only are the Matadors are looking to surpass last year's win total but they also hope to earn enough respect to qualify for postseason competition. "Another one of our goals is to qualify for CIF," Espinosa said.

Notepad

Valhalla seniors Clint McLaughlin and Ray Way both earned selection to this year’s Poway Invitational all-tournament team after helping the Norsemen to a fourth-place finish in the 32-team field. Valhalla -- runner-up to Poway in last year’s San Diego Section Division I finals – dropped a 13-10 decision to the Titans in the tournament’s third-place game Sept. 21 at Mt. Carmel High that served as a CIF championship rematch. Division II power La Jolla defeated Carlsbad, 10-6, for the tournament title. Carlsbad, top-ranked this year in the Division I polls, defeated the Norsemen, 10-8, in the tournament semifinals while Jolla – behind tournament MVP Matt Marinkovich – stopped Poway 9-5.

Valhalla opened tournament play with commanding victories against Rancho Bernardo (12-4) and West Hills (22-6). Mike Daly had two goals in the win against Rancho Bernardo while Way scored seven times in the win against West Hills. The Norsemen then defeated Torrey Pines 11-7 in the quarterfinals behind four goals apiece from Jason Saunders and McLaughlin.

McLaughlin scored five goals, including the game-winner in an 11-9 non-league victory against University of San Diego High on Oct. 2 to push the Norsemen’s early-season record to 5-2.