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SATURDAY’S CIF-SS BOYS WATER POLO FINALS
At Mt. SAC, Walnut
OPEN DIVISION
Corona del Mar (26-6) vs. Newport Harbor (29-1), 5 p.m.
Outlook: Defending champion Newport Harbor faces its longtime Battle of the Bay rival after dueling JSerra for the past three Open Division titles. The top-seeded Sailors have defeated Corona del Mar 14-9 and 13-7 this season to extend their winning streak in the rivalry to 19 matches. Newport Harbor coach Ross Sinclair, in his 11th season at his alma mater, is 19-2 against against Corona del Mar, which last beat the Sailors in 2016. Newport Harbor is led by Stanford commits Connor Ohl and Kai Kaneko. The seniors have played for the U.S. national team. The Sailors are seeking their fourth Open crown in five seasons and a record 16th section title. No. 3 seeded Corona del Mar has reached its first premier division final since 2002 with Olympian John Mann. The school won its last title — No. 13 in school history — in 2010 in Division 2. The Sea Kings’ postseason run has been sparked by their defense, including the play of goalie Kubichek. Both teams feature several strong seniors but Corona del Mar’s William Weir is one junior to watch.
DIVISION 1
Mater Dei (16-13) vs. Loyola (16-12), 12:30 p.m.
Outlook: The Monarchs, under first-year coach Erik Zimmerman, have made most of their first appearance outside the top division since 2009. No. 3 seed Mater Dei has reached its first section final since winning Division 1 in 2017. The Monarchs finished third in the Trinity League behind Santa Margarita and JSerra. Mater Dei’s strength is balanced scoring. Junior Asa Chen is a shooter to watch. Junior goalie in Morgan Crichton has 320 saves. Mater Dei lost to top-seeded Loyola 12-9 at the North-South Challenge. Loyola led by as many as six goals in the second half.
DIVISION 2
Capistrano Valley (25-4) vs. Damien (19-15), 2 p.m.
Outlook: The Cougars have won their past three matches by one goal to reach their second consecutive final under coach OJ Vazquez. Capistrano Valley returned five starters from a squad that lost to Brea Olinda 11-10 in the Division 2 final last season. The Cougars’ experienced group includes twins Samy and Kenzy Hadjaz and goalie Carter Nelson. Last season, Capistrano Valley defeated Damien 11-10 in the quarterfinals. The Cougars to snap an 0-5 record in section finals, a stretch that started in 1989 in Division 3A.