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This week’s South Coast Tournament in boys water polo appears well-positioned to provide its annual, early-season preview of the top teams.
Hosted by reigning CIF-SS Open Division champion Newport Harbor, the event not only features 10 squads ranked in Orange County, it welcomes powerhouse programs from San Diego and Northern California.
The 32-team tournament, which runs Thursday through Saturday in Orange County, also falls just after the sitout period for transfers in the Southern Section. The sitout period for boys water polo transfers ended on Tuesday.
This calendar for transfers, in theory, allows Southern Section teams to play the South Coast — the first major tournament of the fall — at full strength.
A few of Orange County’s top squads have sitout transfers.
Defending tournament champion and top-seeded Newport Harbor (6-0), ranked No. 1 in Orange County, features transfer Sean Anderson. The sophomore’s sitout period ended Sept. 13, according to the Southern Section’s transfer website.
Anderson impressed as an attacker for the 18-and-under Newport Beach team that earned silver at the Junior Olympics in the summer.
No. 3 seeded JSerra (4-0) has sitout transfers Ronan Keane (Servite), Dimitris Dimitrakopoulos (Beckman) and Cal Ulicny (Portola), Lions coach Brett Ormsby confirmed.
Corona del Mar (8-1), seeded seventh, features sitout transfers Benjamin Kubichek and Samuel Macias, Sea Kings coach Lucas Reynolds confirmed.
Kubichek is a senior goalie from Mater Dei.
San Diego’s Cathedral Catholic (2-1) is seeded second. The Dons signaled their strength in an 11-8 loss against visiting Newport Harbor earlier this season.
The Dons feature junior Jett Taylor, who debuted with the U.S. national team in June.
Miramonte of Orinda (2-0) and Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton (2-0) are seeded fourth and fifth, respectively.
Oaks Christian and The Bishop’s are seeded sixth and eighth, respectively.
Last season, Newport Harbor defeated JSerra 14-6 in the South Coast final.
Newport Harbor has won 38 consecutive regular-season matches.
The Sailors’ renovated pool is one of four tournament sites. The other pools at Corona del Mar, Foothill and Edison. The semifinals and finals at Newport Harbor on Saturday starting at 10:40 a.m. The championship is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.