Crean Lutheran, Portola and Servite boys water polo teams win playoff games

CREAN LUTHERAN 17, HILLCREST 9: The top-seeded Saints, competing in the CIF playoffs for the first time, won their Division 6 opener on the road.

Jonathan DiPinto had eight goals and Tate Fitzgerald and Mark DiPinto had three goals each to lead Crean Lutheran.

“We played a good game, and had contributions from all our players,” said Coach Ed Carrera. “It was great to see our eight freshmen get a lot of playing time and experience for the future.”

Crean Lutheran advances into the second round to face Lakeside in Elsinore Thursday at 5 p.m.

PORTOLA 14, VALENCIA (PLACENTIA) 7: The Bulldogs, seeded fourth in Division 4, won their playoff opener, the first in the history of the young program, on Tuesday.

Noam Garibi led Portola with four goals, five steals, three drawn ejections and an assist, according to Coach Kate Avery.

Ryder Tonkovich had four goals and three steals for the Bulldogs.

“Goalie Grant Kramer shut out Valencia in the first half,” Avery said. “His only stat was a steal in the second quarter. Building on that, we played phenomenal press defense. Grant should really be the last resort on defense so if his stats are low, that means we’re doing well on the defensive side.

“All around though, the team played cohesively. We had 23 steals as a team which is impressive. This win was truly a team effort.”

Portola moves on to the second round Thursday at 5 p.m. at Redlands.

SERVITE 24, ARLINGTON 7: The top-seeded Friars won their Division 2 playoff opener on the road. Kai Baker scored six goals, Elias Guirado and Patrick Edwards had four goals each and Andrew Cagney had four assists.

Servite moves on to host Pacific Coast League champion University, which defeated Capistrano Valley 14-12, in the second round Thursday.