The South Coast Water Polo Club entered five teams in this year’s California State Games tournament, and landed the big prize with two gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals in competition July 13-15.
South Coast captured gold medals in the boys 14U and 18U divisions, a silver medal in the girls 16U division and bronze medals in the boys 16U and girls 18U divisions.
In addition to the team awards, South Coast’s Zach Hastings received the Player of the Games award after leading the team to a bronze medal in the boys 16U division and a gold medal in the 18U division.
Eighty athletes competed on this year’s South Coast State Games team.
“The South Coast Water Polo Club has done very well this year,” program director Ernie Medina said. “We have provided water polo training, clinics, games for ages 6 through 18. The South Coast 14U team remains undefeated in the past three years with more than 75 wins. The 12U coed team has one loss in three years. The 10U coed team is undefeated.
“The 16U boys, 16U girls, 18U girls and 18U boys teams have only lost two to three games in three years.
“Our coaching staff has taught hundreds of kids with 80 on the Cal State Games team and 45 on the San Diego County Youth League teams this summer season.”
South Coast defeated Fallbrook, 6-3, to win the boys 14U gold medal and topped East County, 11-5, to win the boys 18U division.
South Coast dropped a 9-4 decision to Modesto to finish runner-up in the girls 16U division.
In claiming its two bronze medals, South Coast defeated Southern, 11-3, in the boys 16U division and Sunset, 12-5 in the girls 18U division.
“South Coast has improved each year at the Cal State Games earning medals in every category this season,” Medina explained. “The experienced coaches worked hard all year and deserve recognition.”
Those coaches include 18U boys coaches Stuart Sokil and Sergio Carreon; 18U girls coaches David Chalmers, Wesley Maddox and Rachael Medina; 16U girls coaches Chad Kavanagh, David Chalmers and Bobby Rector; 16U boys coaches Sokil and Ernie Medina; 14U coaches Mike Hastings, Kiwi Field and Ernie Medina; 12U Grommet coaches Kavanagh, Justin Hartley and Ernie Medina; 10U Grommet coaches Kavanagh and Hartley (also goalie coach); and 8U Gremmie coach Annie Dickson.
The South Coast Water Polo Club is a year-around club. Youth and high school athletes from the Mar Vista, Eastlake, Hilltop, Olympian, Otay Ranch, Southwest, Coronado, Bonita Vista, Mater Dei Catholic, High Tech High Chula Vista, Monte Vista high school areas participate.
The summer program ends July 31. The fall program for 13&older girls and 12U/10U/8U Grommet divisions start Aug. 13 at the Las Palmas pool in National City. Fall schedule dates are Monday and Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays TBA.
For more information, visit the website at southcoastwaterpolo.org.
East County Summer League wraps up successful showing for South Coast Water Polo Club
South Coast Water Polo Club concluded its summer league schedule the week of July 9-12.
South Coast’s 16U girls and 16U boys teams both finished 6-0 while the 18U girls team finished 4-0-2 and the 18U boys team finished 5-1. The 14U boys team also competed in the 16U boys division, finishing undefeated though it did not meet its older counterpart during league play.
Many of these players will go on to represent their respective high schools during the upcoming fall boys water polo and winter girls water polo seasons. Low-pressure competition during the summer has served to help sharpen their skills and keep them mentally motivated.
Standouts on the 18U boys team include Zach Hastings (Mar Vista), Skylar Garces (Hilltop), Patrick Hooverson (Eastlake), Matt Olimski (formerly Otay Ranch, currently at Penn State Berand), Arturo Rodriguez (Monte Vista), Mark Estrada (Hilltop), Bryce Heber (Mar Vista).
Standouts on the 16U boys team include Zach Hastings (Mar Vista), Bryce Heber (Mar Vista), Jeremy Longsworth (Mar Vista), Miles D’Agostino (Bonita Vista), Eli Stewart (Eastlake), Levi Lord (Mar Vista), Dominick Carlucci (Hilltop), Nate Bjornstad (Eastlake).
Standouts on the 14U boys team include Riley Anderson (Eastlake), Ethan Hastings (Mar Vista), Fletcher Field (Mar Vista), Trevor Rector (Mar Vista Middle), Bradford Dickson (Mar Vista Middle), Calen Hutchins (Bonita Vista), Carlos Ibarra (Mar Vista Middle), Liam Romero (Rancho Del Rey Middle), Freddie Hetter (Saint Augustine).
Standouts on the 18U girls team include Elizabeth Burkhart (Olympian), Jordan Carpadakis (Hilltop), Julissa Diaz (Eastlake), Christina Hernandez (Mater Dei Catholic), Shyla Toledo (formerly Mar Vista), Sophia Espinoza (formerly Hilltop), Corrine Locke (Hilltop), Melanie Clamp (Mar Vista).
Standouts on the 16U girls team include Kailey Uribe (Eastlake), Summer Chalmers (Mar Vista), Lyndsey Rector (Mar Vista), Tess Johnson (Eastlake), Melanie Clamp (Mar Vista), Kate Clifton (Mater Dei Catholic), Annie Dickson (Mar Vista), Tatum Billings (Mar Vista).
The South Coast team has experienced a growth spurt in recent years. Three years ago, the club started with 40 players and has since grown to 240.
“What makes our program unique is that we have three CIF championship coaches on our staff,” South Coast program director Ernie Medina explained. “In three years, we’ve put six girls in Division I college water polo programs. We have sought to make South Bay more competitive.”
Medina is very correct on all points.
Stuart Sokil won a San Diego Section Division III championship with Eastlake High School’s girls team in 2015 while Medina guided Hilltop to the Division III title in 2016. Mar Vista won the Division II team title in 2016 under coach Chad Kavanagh.
“We practice five days each week and have two games each week,” explained Medina, the veteran of the coaching group. “The conditioning and camaraderie through water polo was enhanced greatly.”
Mar Vista’s boys team expects to benefit from the infusion of several South County youth players into its high school program as freshmen, among them Ethan Hastings, Fletcher Fields, Dylan Hartley and goalie T.C. Spalding.
Currently, four Mar Vista varsity players have helped bolster the South Coast playing roster: Zach Hastings, Bryce Heber, Jeremy Longsworth and Levi Lord.
Mar Vista’s girls team will be impacted by South Coast’s 16U girls team with sophomores Melanie Clamp and Summer Chalmers.
Nate Bjornstad, who competes on the South Coast 16U boys team, won the 100-yard breaststroke at last spring’s Mesa League swim finals for Eastlake.
South Coast Water Polo Club
16U Boys Photo Gallery by Chadd Cady
Prep Water Polo Preview
Summer league play sets stage for hotly contested prep boys water polo season
The race for this year’s Grossmont Hills League boys water polo championship appears to be hotly contested. Front-runners include the Valhalla Norsemen, Grossmont Foothillers and Steele Canyon Cougars.
Valhalla won last year’s league title while Grossmont captured the San Diego Section Division I championship.
“All three teams return a lot of players, so the league title should be closely contested,” veteran Valhalla coach Kent Houston said.
Though the regular season schedule starts in late August, teams began preparing for the upcoming campaign by participating in summer league play.
The San Diego East County Summer League is one of the oldest running leagues and features boys and girls 16U and 18U divisions. The philosophy behind the offseason play is to prepare athletes for their upcoming high school season while providing an appropriate venue for demonstrating sportsmanship within a positive learning environment.
The 16U leagues generally serve the junior varsity level while the 18U leagues include varsity-caliber players.
Valhalla competed as the Sons of Odin during play in the 18U boys league during June and July. The Norsemen’s off-season club team finished undefeated at 6-0 during summer league play.
Houston, who is in his 34th year of coaching, looks to field another strong VHS varsity team in 2018. He noted there are 10 returners from last year’s league championship squad.
The makeup of this year’s unit includes 13 seniors, one junior and 20 sophomores.
Next year looks to be a rebuilding season.
“We have been playing a lot all summer,” Houston said. “Our team chemistry is really getting good having so many players playing together for so long. However, after this year we will graduate 13 players.”
Grossmont competed in this summer’s 16U and 18U leagues as did teams representing West Hills, El Capitan, Monte Vista, Helix and Santana high schools.
League play wrapped up in the 18U division July 12 at Monte Vista High School. The 16U boys and girls divisions used the Montgomery Middle School pool as a venue site while Valhalla High School hosted the 18U girls division.
Games were played throughout the week at the various East County sites.
“Grossmont should be very good this season,” Houston noted. “We played them eight times over the summer and it was always a one-goal game between the teams. Steele Canyon also has a lot of returning players and their players have also been playing during the summer, so I expect they will field a strong team as well.”
Top returners for the Norsemen include goalie Ben Sange and field players Thomas O’Carroll, Andrew Higginson, Matt Ramey, Eric Nordquist, Jake Pyjar and Sheldon French.
The Norsemen finished 24-5 last season, advancing to the Open Division playoffs.
Houston is counting on summer league to give his team a boost heading into fall training camp.
“The summer league helps develop player continuity,” the VHS coach said. “We’re good. But we can be better.”
