Crean Lutheran and Portola will be among Orange County boys water polo teams competing in the semifinal round in their divisions Wednesday at the CIF playoffs.
It’s the first time that either team has been in the playoffs. Both teams are trying to land a trip to the finals on Saturday.
Top-seeded Crean Lutheran, coached by Ed Carrera, meets Westminster Wednesday at 5 p..m., at Ocean View in Division 6 while fourth-seeded Portola, coached by Kate Avery, takes on top-seeded Long Beach Poly in Division 4 Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Woodbridge.
Crean Lutheran advanced with a 15-8 victory over Mark Keppel in the quarterfinal round Saturday at the Woollett Aquatics Complex.
“Our game was good vs. Mark Keppel,” Carrera said. “We had great team defense, and were led offensively by the DiPinto brothers (Mark and Jonathan) who combined for eight goals (four apiece) and Tate Fitzgerald with five goals.
“I’m excited to be part of the CIF semifinals again. There is nothing quite like CIF.”
Portola defeated Fullerton 12-10 in the semifinals Saturday.
“Freshmen Luke Porter and Ryder Tonkovich were key offensive players in the game, especially in the second half,” Avery said. “Porter racked up three goals and four steals; Ryder scored three goals, had two assists and three steals.
“Defensively, sophomore Kasra Sowlati and junior goalie Grant Kramer shut down Fullerton’s offense. Kramer had 13 saves and an assist that game; Sowlati had a well-rounded game with one goal, two assists and three steals.”
Avery said the Bulldogs are looking forward to the semifinals.
“We’re excited for the competitiveness that Long Beach Poly will definitely bring,” she said. “They’ll be one of the best teams we’ll see this year for sure. We’re also just really excited to be advancing to the semifinal round in our first year ever in CIF (playoffs). Looking forward to a great game of water polo.”
To see the full semifinal schedule for Wednesday, click here
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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