Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar kick off water polo season with ‘Battle in the Bay’
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The fourth annual “Battle in the Bay” showcase moved from May to August this year.
That meant warmer water temperatures greeted the boys’ and girls’ water polo players from rivals Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar for Wednesday’s event, held in the water next to Marina Park on the Balboa Peninsula.
“When they jump in, you don’t hear any screams,” Sailors coach Ross Sinclair said. “It’s just great to have this to kickstart the year.”
In addition to the calendar change, there were some changes to the format of the event as well. Scores were kept per quarter rather than cumulatively, with a shootout to decide the quarter winner in the event the teams were tied.
A pair of juniors, Jack Jacobson from CdM and Caruso Polenzani from Newport Harbor, stepped up to take the penalty shots at the end of the second quarter of the varsity boys’ game. Technically, CdM won the quarter when Polenzani’s second penalty shot hit the left post.
That came after some good-natured trash talking from Jacobson, a left-hander who played club water polo at Newport when he was younger.
“I know all of those boys,” Polenzani said with a smile after the game ended. “It’s a good rivalry.”
A three-year varsity player, Polenzani led Newport Harbor with three goals in the Battle in the Bay. Sean Anderson scored twice, with Owen Marks and Jack Norton adding goals. Goalkeepers Liam Kim and Oliver Aguero combined for 10 saves.
The Sailors are two-time defending Open Division champions, topping CdM in last year’s final, but lost a lot of talent via graduation.
“Look, we’re super-young,” Sinclair said. “That’s no secret, graduating 14 seniors. These guys, they’ve got to work. They’ve been working really hard. There’s a lot of things that they’re learning, learning how to train properly, how to prepare themselves for practice and for games. It’s a new squad, and I think they’re excited to go out there and try to live up to the expectations.”
Sinclair said Newport Harbor played four freshmen — Wilder Ward, Jude Williams, Henry Tatum and Brener Dawson — in the showcase. The quartet helped the Newport 14U club team earn a bronze medal at the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics last month.
CdM hung tough for much of the match, with Jacobson scoring twice. Will Weir gave the Sea Kings their first goal in the second quarter on a penalty shot drawn by Derek Spruill, while Colton Kozlowski made three saves in goal.
“I’m extremely happy with how the guys played,” CdM coach Lucas Reynolds said. “We’ve put in a lot of work, and we have a lot of work ahead of us. I’m just excited for the season with this group. They were one of my first 14U groups, and I kind of coached them all the way up. I’m excited for this season, because it feels like it’s been six years in the process of making this group.”
Newport Harbor’s boys host Marina on Saturday to start the games that count, while CdM played at Fountain Valley on Thursday.
The varsity girls’ game was ultimately less competitive, with the Sailors’ depth ultimately winning out. That was true even if two of Newport Harbor’s top players, seniors Gabby Alexson and Emerson Mulvey, missed the match because they’re competing at the World Aquatics U18 World Championships in Spain.
Senior Madison Mack and freshman Annabel Moala paced the Sailors with three goals each, while Caroline Daniel, Olivia Bryant, Valery Verdugo and Addison Ting each scored twice. Sutton Lohman and Layla Head split time in goal.
Even without Alexson, the two-time Daily Pilot Dream Team Player of the Year, Newport Harbor was formidable at center on Wednesday. Daniel drew at least seven exclusions and Moala, one of six freshmen who saw the water, also shined.
“The fact that we have six freshmen that can all play and hold their own out there, and then you have all of the returners, it’s just so much experience and talent to be able to do that,” Daniel said. “It’s fun, because you know you can go hard for however long you’re in, and you’re going to get a break in a second.”
That Class of 2030 group — Hope Doyle also scored a goal Wednesday — is coming off a dominant run to a gold medal at the Junior Olympics over the summer. It seems to ensure that the Sailors will again be one of the deepest girls’ water polo teams in the section this winter.
“Our practices are going to be ultra competitive, because people are going to want to play,” Sinclair said. “We have more than seven people that can play, so that’s going to be really fun … It’s a good problem to have. I’m excited for when we get to that point in the season.”
Camryn Spruill scored a pair of goals for CdM’s girls, while Keira Bethell, Morgan Dollander and Lilly Badii added one goal each. The Sea Kings have their own standout freshman, Charlie Bergeron, who started in goal.
