Boys Water Polo Shares Championship Banner With Eastlake High School

Publication Info: Imperial Beach Eagle & Times

Publication Date: October 29, 2018

Last week on Tuesday, Oct. 16, the Mar Vista Boys Water Polo Team faced off against Eastlake High School for the title of Mesa League Co-Champions. The last time Mar Vista won the banner was in 2014, so needless to say, the Mariner’s desire was evident. The boys have had a great season, their current league record is 6-1.

This was a crucial game for both Mar Vista and Eastlake. If Eastlake won, they would take the banner. If Mar Vista won, they would become co-champions. Mar Vista had lost to Eastlake earlier in the season, so they were hoping to make up for it in this game.

They did just that, the Mar Vista boys came out with fire in the first quarter. Their sprinter, senior and captain Bryce Heber won the sprint (the race to the ball at the beginning of the game to determine starting possession) gaining possession of the ball. The first goal was made by senior and captain Zack Hastings. Shortly after, freshman Carlos Ibarra made a shot that hit the post of the cage, and Hastings recovered it, pushing it in for another goal. Mar Vista and Eastlake both played great defense, stealing the ball from each other time after time. Eastlake attempted a shot, but it was deflected by Ibarra and returned to Mar Vista’s possession. The boys had great communication and were obviously there for each other in the water, jumping in to defend the ball at each attempted steal by Eastlake. One final goal was scored, bringing the first quarter to an end with a score of 3-0.

Mar Vista once again won the sprint in the second quarter. A lob shot from freshman Ethan Hastings added another tally to the board for the Mariners. Eastlake scored their first two goals when Mar Vista was down a player due to an ejection (a foul resulting in a player having to wait in a designated place in the pool for twenty seconds before resuming gameplay). Again, the Mariners played great defense. Every time the ball was delivered to Eastlake’s hole (the player directly in front of the cage) Mar Vista jumped in to steal it away. Another goal was scored by senior and captain Jeremy Longworth, and Eastlake’s goalie was ejected at the end of the second quarter. This meant Eastlake would begin the third quarter with no goalie.

The third quarter began after Mar Vista once again won the sprint. The mariners missed their chance to score on Eastlake while they were missing a goalie, but junior David Speer scored directly after. Eastlake scored again on a 5-meter penalty shot. Junior Levi Lord did a great job blocking Eastlake’s next shot, but he wasn’t quite fast enough to block the shot quickly after. A shot from Ibarra, a lob from Eastlake, and a beautiful redirect by Zack Hastings brought the score to 8-5 at the end of the third quarter.

The intensity was high at the start of the fourth quarter, both teams pining for the championship title. Once again, the sprint was won by Mar Vista. Two shots were made by Hastings and Heber, and Eastlake scored right after. The crowd was cheering, both schools wanting their team to win. You could tell how much Mar Vista wanted to win when Hastings delivered a backhand shot right into Eastlake’s cage. Lord blocked another shot, and Mar vista scored one final point. Eastlake scored right after, but it wasn’t quite enough to win, as the buzzer signaling the end of the game rang and the crowd erupted in cheers. The final score was 12-7.

“It feels great to win a banner. It truly shows that the hard work pays off. Although this shouldn’t be our greatest accomplishment this year, we are striving to win a CIF banner,” said Hastings after the game.

After making it to the quarter finals of CIF last year, the Mariners are hungry for a shot at redemption. “These guys have come in with the mentality that they want to be CIF champs,” said coach Chad Kavanagh, “and we’ve been training to try to get there.”

It’s special that these two teams get to share the title of co-champions, as many of them have worked for it together. Many of the Mar Vista and Eastlake boys have played on club teams together for years. When asked how that may have influenced the game, Hastings replied, “We have grown together as players and as friends. However, in the pool it’s strictly business. We both know how badly we want to win and that competitive nature is what fuels the fire. It always makes the win a little sweeter as well.”

When asked what made this season different from their previous ones, Longworth answered, “I think it really comes down to experience and team chemistry. Even though three of our starters are freshmen, they’ve all been playing water polo for multiple years, and we’ve played on the same club team, so we had the chance to play together before the high school season even began.”

Overall, the Mariners have had a very successful season, and they hope to continue it into CIF.

“Most kids don’t know how to play water polo when they start this sport,” said Kavanagh. “It’s not something you learn in Elementary School, it’s not something you play on the street with the kids around the block, Its completely from scratch. When you find success in a sport like this where most kids come as a freshman and have never even played before, it’s a big deal. Each one of those banners is a moment where a team has risen to the challenge.”

The Mariners will play next on Thursday, Oct. 25, at Parkway Aquatic Center against San Ysidro High School at 7 p.m. They play their last regularly scheduled season game before CIF playoffs begin on Friday, Oct. 26, at Hilltop High School at 3 p.m.