Madison Young
Staff Writer
The Mira Costa boys varsity water polo team competed in the South Coast Tournament from September 12-14, finishing with a 3-2 record. The tournament took place across two venues—Corona Del Mar High School and San Juan Hills High School—and pitted Mira Costa against formidable opponents, including San Clemente, Vista, and Santa Margarita. The team’s performance across the three days displayed both their strengths and areas for improvement as they prepare for the rest of the season.
“The tournament prepared our team for what’s to come later in the season and what we should expect in the level of competitiveness,” Varsity Head Coach, Jon Reichardt said. “The tournament made it clear what we need to focus on and get stronger at during the next couple of weeks leading up to CIF’s.”
Mira Costa opened the tournament against San Clemente on September 12 at 4 p.m. at Corona Del Mar High School. The team’s main focus and strategy in the first game was to press on defense for twenty seconds and drop back to zone defense for 10 seconds. However, despite these tactical efforts, Mira Costa struggled to execute and suffered a 8-16 loss.
“We went into the first game thinking we would win easily, which ultimately led to our downfall,” explained Junior Varsity player Will Trent. “But we quickly adjusted our mentality for the rest of the tournament.”
The second day of the tournament, held on September 13, saw a remarkable turnaround for Mira Costa. The team’s first match of the day was against Vista at 3 p.m., and with a renewed focus and tactical adjustments, they secured their first win with a dominant score of 17-3. The team then faced Orange Lutheran later that day, where they continued their winning momentum, finishing with a solid 13-8 victory. Senior Varsity Player, Jack Swenson, was a standout player and scored several goals and some great outside shots, says various teammates.
“The second day was far more successful than the first due to our new mentality and greater efforts,” Trent added. “The team showed up and gave each team our all.”
On the final day, September 14, the team traveled to San Juan Hills High School for their last two matches. In a tightly contested game against Santa Margarita at 10:40 a.m, Mira Costa earned a hard-fought 9-7 victory, extending their winning streak to three games. However, their final match of the tournament, against San Marcos, ended in disappointment. Despite beating San Marcos earlier in the season, the team was unable to maintain their momentum and lost 6-8.
“This tournament was a great opportunity to see where we stand and where we need to improve,” Reichardt notes. “As of now, we are conditioning hard through the month of October to prepare for the playoffs. Heading into CIF, it is our goal to make the open division.”
The team finished 18th out of 32 teams in the tournament and currently holds a Southern Section ranking of 34. With continued dedication, Mira Costa is well-positioned to pursue their goal of qualifying for the open division of CIF playoffs. Their next challenge, against Corona Del Mar on September 20, will be a critical test of their progress as they aim to solidify their place in the open division of CIF playoffs.
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