Newport to face Wilson

nhpolofinal-previewRubber game between Sailors and Bruins will determine the CIF Division I champion.It’s been a while coming for Newport Harbor High’s boys’ water polo team.

The last time the Sailors were in the CIF Southern Section Division I boys’ water polo final was in 2000, when they defeated Foothill, 15-9, to win the title under head coach Brian Kreutzkamp.

The following April, Kreutzkamp left Newport Harbor for Golden West College and Jason Lynch took the helm. After four straight years of getting eliminated in the CIF quarterfinals, Lynch has his team in the championship game for the first time.

The No. 3-seed Sailors take on top-seeded Long Beach Wilson in the Division I final at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach today at 8:15 p.m.

Newport Harbor made 18 CIF championship game appearances from 1964 to 1987, capturing 10 titles during that span -- the last coming in 1984. Then the Sailors went 16 years before winning another CIF title.

The Sailors (25-4) hope to avoid starting that kind of a drought tonight, but it won’t be easy sailing against Wilson (25-3), the four-time Division I defending champions -- especially in Long Beach.

“It’s difficult to play them in their home pool,” Lynch said. “Plus, they have the advantage because they’ve been there eight out of the last nine years.”

Still, in the moments after Newport Harbor beat Corona del Mar in the semifinals Friday and awaited the outcome of the Wilson-Foothill semifinal (a 9-6 Wilson victory), the players were hoping for a third game against Wilson.

“I’d like to see Long Beach Wilson in the finals,” said Clay Jorth. “I want a shot at beating them in their own pool.”

Newport opened its season by defeating Wilson, 9-5. Jorth scored four goals, and Newport limited Wilson’s patented counterattacks.

Wilson came back and beat Newport, 7-6, in the South Coast tournament championship game, setting up tonight’s rubber match.

“We’ve been working hard as a team all season for a chance to play in the finals,” said Newport’s Brett Auer, who had five goals in the semifinals. “It’s been our goal for a long time.”

Jorth and Auer lead a deep and talented Sailors squad that includes high-scoring senior left-hander Telford Cottam, along with seniors Parker Gregory, Carson Hill and Kyle Sherman, and junior standouts Broc Hill, Blake Hockenbury and goalkeeper Bryce McClain.

“Our bench is so deep, we can throw anyone on our team into the water and play well,” Auer said.

Wilson boasts standouts Matt Sagehorn, who had four goals in the semifinals, and Anthony Artukovich -- both of whom played on the U.S. Junior National Team in Argentina in October with Jorth -- and two-meter man Charles Wright.

“It could go either way,” Jorth said. “But it’ll be a good, solid water polo game.”20051122IP1L7806No Caption