HONORS:

2008 All Moore League Selections:

1st Team

Anthony Gutierrez

Dillon Kruger

Nick Lombardino

Ian Paice

2nd Team

Brian Mojica

Nathan Eckhous

Daniel Seagren

Riley Wilson

Honorable Mention

Macaully Xing

Isaac Prieto

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Varsity Season

Overall Record 14-12-1

2nd Place Moore League

League Record 3W-1L

Junior Varsity Season

Overall Record 13W - 6L

2nd Place Moore League

League Record 3W-1L

Frosh/Soph Season

Overall Record 11W-8L

3rd Place Moore League

League Record 2W-2L

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Varsity Awards:

Most Valuable Player ~ Dillon Kruger

Offensive M.V.P. ~ Nick Lombardino & Ian Paice

Defensive M.V.P ~ Anthony Gutierrez

Most Improved ~ Riley Wilson

Hardest Worker ~ Brian Mojica

Coach's Award ~ Elbert Mai & Daniel Seagren

Freshman of the Year ~ Blake Hannagan

Junior Varsity Awards:

Most Valuable Player ~ Carlton Nguyen

Offensive M.V.P. ~ Michael Rose

Defensive M.V.P. ~ Mike Peys

Hardest Worker ~ Mason Coon

Frosh/Soph Awards:

Most Valuable Player ~ Austin Horton

Offensive M.V.P. ~ Pablo Powers & Charlie Escalante

Defensive M.V.P. ~ Mitchell Hokanson & Carlos Valdez

Hardest Worker ~ Chris Korkos

Poly makes a quick exit from playoffs...

Press-Telegram
Long Beach, CA
WATER POLO: Servite dominates play, routing the Jackrabbits, 14-4.
By Dave Werstine, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/11/2008 10:38:25 PM PST

LONG BEACH - Poly High boys water polo coach Scott Penttila was more or less pleased with his team's regular season and second-place finish in the Moore Leauge.
And the reward for a job well done? A first-round game in the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs against a third-place team.
But Servite, in all reality, is no third-place team, and the Friars proved it with a 14-4 victory over the host Jackrabbits on Tuesday afternoon.
"It was the worst possible matchup we could have had," said Penttila, whose team finished the season with a 14-12-1 record.
He's right. Whoever put the brackets together didn't do Poly any favors.
Servite (17-13) finished tied for second in the Trinity League, the top league in Division II, and came into the playoffs ranked No.5.
Despite the disparity between the teams, the Jackrabbits were right there through the first quarter and a half.
Poly took the lead less than a minute into the game on a goal by Ian Paice and was tied, 2-2, after Brian Mojica's goal at 3:47 of the second quarter.
But Servite star 2-meter man Cruz Smithson took over, scoring back-to-back goals, and Nate Little added another 43 seconds before the halftime buzzer to give the Friars a 5-2 advantage.
"We were playing well. I was happy enough with our first half," Penttila said. "I do wish we would have been closer."
Poly did get closer. Dillon Kruger scored 44 seconds into the third quarter to make it 5-3.
But the Friars scored the next seven goals - four coming from Smithson - to make it 12-3 and put the game out of reach.
"We had a couple of unlucky bounces ... they go on a run and we go into panic mode," Penttila said. "I know our seniors were gripping a lot. They didn't want their season to end that way."
Poly interrupted the run with a man-advantage goal by Paice with 4:37 left in the game.
Servite added a pair of goals down the stretch for the winning margin.
"We had a good game plan," said Penttila of how the Jackrabbits would defend Smithson, who is considered among the top players in Southern California. "We wanted to double-team Cruz and make other guys beat us."
But Smithson, who tallied six goals over the course of 7:25 in the middle of the game, turned the game around on Poly.
"We should have done better," Penttila said. "We usually look more like the team in the first quarter. I've seen us play better teams closer ... a lot closer." dave.werstine@presstelegram.com

CIF Water Polo: Poly vs. Servite

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
CIF Water Polo:
Story by J.J. Fiddler
www.LBPOSTSports.com

The Poly boys’ water polo team held down Servite for a half. But half is never enough, and the Friars ran away from the Jackrabbits, 14-4, on Tuesday afternoon at Poly High School. Poly goalie Anthony Gutierrez grabbed 12 saves on the afternoon, but Cruz Smithson and Servite peppered the Jackrabbit defense with shots, as Smithson finished the night with six goals and an assist.
Regarded as one of the top players in Orange County, Smithson was highlighted on Poly’s radar. The Jackrabbits continuously threw multiple defenders at the strong senior, and it worked for a half with Servite only taking a 5-2 lead into the break.
“I felt good at halftime,” said Poly coach Scott Penttila. “Then we came out and scored the first goal, and I was feeling really good… some balls bounced their way, and we went into panic mode a little bit. Our hustle plays diminished.”
Penttila had seen Servite earlier in the season at the South Coast tournament, and knew Poly’s only chance to win was to neutralize Smithson.
After the Jackrabbit score made it 5-3, it was like Smithson flipped his switch. Those hustle plays Penttila mentioned helped the Friars in the 3rd quarter, as Smithson scored four unanswered goals, making it 9-3 Servite, effectively ending the game, and Poly’s season.
“I know we’ve played better teams better than this,” said Penttila after the game. “But we had a solid season. We played good teams and went to good tournaments… we just got the worst possible draw.”
Servite is arguably the most talented third place team in the CIF-SS bracket, coming out of the Trinity League. And even though the score was 1-1 after the first quarter, it never really seemed that close.

Poly vs. Wilson > LBPost Article

Friday, November 7th, 2008
Wilson Water Polo Spoils Poly Upset Hopes, Reclaims Title
Story by Mike Guardabascio
http://www.lbpostsports.com/

The buildup couldn't have been better: Wilson, one of the nation's best water polo programs historically, had stumbled for the last two years, allowing Poly (2006) and Millikan (2007) to win League titles, after the Bruins had dominated for nearly two decades. Then this season, coach Tony Martinho's team returned to form, entering Thursday's final Moore League match undefeated. But…so did the Jackrabbits, who topped the defending league champ Rams in a thrilling come-from-behind victory earlier in the season. The drama was big enough and the teams so evenly matched that people were actually wondering whether home-pool advantage would be the deciding factor.

But after four quarters, Wilson came out on top, 13-10, recapturing the Moore League title and finishing league play undefeated, while Poly gets their first loss, in front of a packed-and-passionate home 'Nat crowd. It was a tight defensive first quarter, but the Bruins went on a 4-0 run in the second that Poly coach Scott Penttila says made the difference. "That run put us in a hole, and we never got out of it," he said after the match.

The leaders for the 'Rabbits were Dillon Kruger and Ian Paice, who both blasted in three; the Bruins were led by Tyler Kennedy, who had a game-high four. Both teams will now advance to the CIF playoffs; their pairings will be announced Sunday. It's unlikely that things will get any easier for either program over the next few weeks. "The pairings are always a crapshoot," said Penttila, "But it seems to me like the Moore League tends to get the toughest draws." With the way the league has performed this year, they'll probably be able to hold their own.

Poly vs. Wilson 11.06.08

Press-Telegram
Long Beach, CA

WATER POLO:
By David Felton, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/06/2008 11:23:20 PM PST

LONG BEACH - From 1987 to 2005, the Moore League boys water polo championship resided at just one place - Wilson High. During that stretch, the Bruins won a slew of prestigious tournaments, several CIF Southern Section crowns and were a nationally recognized program.
That string was broken in 2006 by Poly, and Millikan claimed the league title last season, leaving some to wonder exactly what had happened to Wilson and whether the Bruins were still a factor in the Moore League, let alone Southern California.

Thursday afternoon Poly (14-12-1, 3-1) held a brief 1-0 lead on a goal by Dan Seagren and tied the game at 2 early in the second quarter on a 6-on-5 goal from Riley Wilson. But Wilson scored the next four goals to take control of the game. Junior Michael LaBounty had an assist and a goal during that stretch, Rick Dilday scored twice and Erik Vogelzang had an assist as well.

Poly was within striking distance at halftime, down 6-3, and cut the lead to two early in the third when Nick Lombardino put in a shot that rebounded off the cage. Lombardino scored again a minute later on a 6-on-5 situation to make the score 7-5, and Poly's supporters were in full throat.

But the Bruins scored the next two goals, including a 5-meter penalty shot by Daniel Tyner, and the Jackrabbits never got closer than three goals again.

Kennedy scored twice in the fourth and Dilday scored with 4:29 remaining when he hustled for a loose ball on the left side of the net and beat Poly keeper Anthony Gutierrez to the near post. The Bruins also scored twice in the fourth with the shot clock running out.

Ian Paice and Dillon Kruger each scored three times to lead the Jackrabbits. Paice scored twice in the fourth quarter on 5-meter penalty shots and Kruger scored a beautiful back-handed goal in the second that cut Wilson's advantage to 6-3 before halftime.

Gutierrez finished with 13 saves, including one off his face late in the third. He also made a terrific stop in the first quarter when LaBounty had a breakaway.

Poly vs. Lakewood 10.30.08

Press-Telegram
Long Beach, CA

Poly tops league rival Lakewood
From staff reports
Article Launched: 10/30/2008 11:02:26 PM PDT

Dillon Kruger and Ian Paice had big games for Poly, each scoring five goals to lead the Jackrabbits to a 17-7 victory over Lakewood in Moore League boys water polo action Thursday.
Nick Lombardino contributed three goals to the cause and Brian Mojica had two for Poly (14-9).
Anthony Gutierrez made 19 saves for the Jackrabbits.

Poly vs. Beckman 10.27.08

Press-Telegram
Long Beach, CA
From staff reports
Article Launched: 10/27/2008 11:11:18 PM PDT

Boys water polo -
Dillon Kruger had five goals for host Poly (13-9) in a 17-6 non-league victory over Beckman.

Poly vs. Millikan Follow-up

Long Beach Press Telegram
PREP NOTEBOOK
Article Launched: 10/20/2008 10:17:55 PM PDT

Poly's come-from-ahead, come-from-behind 7-6 victory over Millikan last Thursday was a big deal for the Jackrabbits in more ways than one.
Poly led 4-0, then fell apart in the third period and trailed 6-4 after giving up six consecutive goals in less than four minutes.
"My defense was just a little slow in getting to the shooters; I guess you could call it a mental lapse," Jackrabbits coach Scott Penttila said after the victory.
Penttila said it wasn't the first time he noticed his team's "body language" change during a game. But whereas other times during the season the Jackrabbits (9-8, 2-0 in Moore League) did not recover, they scored three goals in the fourth quarter Thursday - the last by Nick Lombardino with seven seconds to play - to defeat Millikan.

Poly vs Millikan 10.16.08

Press Telegram
Long Beach, CA

Prep Roundup
Lombardino's late goal lifts Poly over Millikan
From staff reports
Article Launched: 10/16/2008 10:26:10 PM PDT
From staff reports

Nick Lombardino was about as thrilled as a high school water polo player can be. For good reason.
Having just watched teammate Brian Mojica tie the score 6-6 with 45 seconds to play, Lombardino scored from point-blank range off a rebound with seven seconds left to give Poly a 7-6 victory over Millikan in a Moore League match Thursday at Poly.
"I've never felt anything like that," Lombardino said of the ensuing rush. "It's the most amazing thing I've felt in my life. I want to go out and paint the town."
This was a match that drastically changed directions. The Jackrabbits (9-8, 2-0) led 4-0 at halftime on three goals by Dillon Kruger and one by Mcaully Xing.
But the Rams (8-6, 1-1) scored six consecutive goals in the third quarter - by Trevor Tautolo, Jace Berry, Nick Beavers, Conner McCombs, Nick Urey and Trevor Larson - to lead 6-4. That onslaught took less than four minutes.
Still trailing by two goals, Poly coach Scott Penttila called timeout with about 1:30 to play in the match. Lombardino then scored almost immediately with 1:19 left to pull Poly within 6-5, setting up Mojica's tying goal and then Lombardino's game-winner.
Millikan coach Al Reyes praised Poly, but bemoaned his team's slow start.
"We can't spot any team, much less Poly, a 4-0 lead if we're going to be successful," he said.

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