La Habra was led by (from left) Garrett Carty, Carter Johnson and Caleb Gonzales in the win Thursday. (PHOTO: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).
La Habra sophomore Carter Johnson scored a season-high seven goals and Garrett Carty and Caleb Gonzales each added five goals to lead the Highlanders to a 23-8 victory over Glendora in an opening round CIF Division 2 boys water polo playoff match Thursday at La Habra.
La Habra’s 23 goals tied its season-high for goals in a game. The Highlanders, who finished second in the Crestview League, will travel to Northwood next Tuesday for a second round game. The Timberwolves defeated Aliso Niguel 12-9 on Thursday.
“We were pumped up to start the game and we didn’t let up; we could feel it from our first goal,” said Johnson, who scored three consecutive goals in the first five minutes of the match to give the Highlanders a 5-0 lead. “It was a good bounce-back game for us after losing to Foothill last week. Things were going our way.”
Gonzales, Luke Magana and Logan Fernandez also added first quarter goals as La Habra (19-8) took a 6-0 lead after seven minutes of play.
“We started strong and went up by six goals early and that’s a spirit-breaker,” said Magana, a senior who scored two goals in the match. “Our second-line team worked us hard in scrimmages in practice this week to get us ready for this match.”
Johnson, Carty, and Gonzales each scored two goals a piece in the second quarter as the Highlanders extended their lead to 13-4 at halftime.
“I was a little nervous coming into this game but after our first goal we were ‘in the moment,'” said Gonzales, a sophomore attacker who was the only La Habra player to score in each quarter. “We executed our plan today.”
“We came out strong and played tough defense,” said Carty, a junior attacker, who added three goals in the final quarter to close out the victory. “It’s easier to dial it down than it is to dial it up.”
La Habra goalkeeper Jude Muci was outstanding in the net, blocking eight shots in the first half.
“None of us wanted it to be our last game, so it feels great to get the first playoff win,” said Muci. “We’re peaking at the right time.”
The Highlanders got excellent defensive play by Johnson, Fernandez, and Duncan McKenzie and several others as La Habra increased their lead to 17-5 after three quarters. The Tartans were never able to get into an offensive rhythm as the Highlanders continued to apply heavy defensive pressure.
Connor Edwards, a La Habra crowd favorite, scored a goal early in the fourth quarter and received a roaring applause from his teammates and the hometown crowd.
La Habra Coach Mitch Carty was pleased how his team responded after a tough loss to Foothill last week for the Crestview League Title.
“The Foothill loss stung and this was a good bounce-back win for us and our mind set,” said Carty. “Carter (Johnson) played a great game and it was one of our best games all season. A couple of guys got in foul trouble, and we were vulnerable but we overcame it.”
Collin Harper led Glendora (17-15) with three goals.
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