By Maddy Braybrooke
Staff Writer
The boys water polo team beat Santiago High School on Nov. 23 to take home the California Interscholastic Federation Division III title for the first time in seven years at the Woolett Aquatic Center in Irvine.
The Mustangs have made it to the CIF finals six times in history, but they have not won since 2006. They were successful in defeating the Santiago Sharks for the third time this year, winning 6-5.
“It is hard to beat a team three times in a row, but the finals are a different story,” coach Jon Reichardt said. “It doesn’t matter what happened a day ago or two weeks ago.We prep for this game as if we’ve never played them before.”
In the first period, Costa started off with a block by junior goalie Nicholas Dale, which was followed by a Santiago goal. Junior perimeter Andrew Todd tied up the score with a lob goal in the upper right corner. Santiago scored two more goals, making the score 3-1 to end the first period.
“I was excited that we scored, and I was confident that we were going to win the game,” Todd said.
The second period began with a shot attempt by Santiago that hit the crossbar. Senior perimeter Corey Erickson followed with Costa’s second goal. Junior perimeter Brandon Lavinsky added two shot attempts, but senior perimeter Drew Rogerson tied the game with Costa’s third goal. The period ended with a save by Dale and a goal by Todd, giving Costa a 4-3 lead.
“I was definitely getting nervous, but I knew that we had to calm down, focus and play our game,” Rogerson said. “I was mostly thinking about playing defense.”
Costa started off the third period with a penalty shot earned by junior perimeter Edward Jeon, but was shot by Todd who hit the post. Santiago followed with a shot and a goal, tying the score at 4-4. The period consisted of two more shots by Todd and Jeon and a couple of saves by Dale, but no scores.
“The third period was intense,” Dale said. “There were so many things running through my mind that I couldn’t even think straight. I really relied on my teammates like Rogerson, senior captain Gabe Smith, and Todd. We created a group mentality that focused us physically and mentally.”
In the final period, Costa came out with a goal by Rogerson, followed by a Santiago goal. Rogerson and Smith took two more shots for Costa, but could not score. Then, with two minutes remaining, Erickson scored the winning goal in the bottom right corner. The Mustangs finished the game 6-5, earning their fourth CIF title.
“Santiago played a heck-of-a game,” Reichardt said. “Everything that we tried they stuffed out. We had some good shots but our defense won it for us. All the guys played a phenomenal game.”
Leading up to their championship game, Costa was seeded first in the playoffs, finishing with a record of 27-6. Costa won every game in Bay League and lost only six games in tournaments. As a result of its undefeated streak in Bay League, the team won its second consecutive title.
“We went into the game full of energy,” junior perimeter Dylan Linnell said. “Thoughts of all the hard work we have done throughout the past seasons were prevalent. We refused to lose, because it was our day.”
Costa also won its fourth title in six trips to the CIF finals.
“The boys believed in the team’s philosophy, and they worked hard to gain a victory,” Reichardt said.
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