Bishop’s captures SoCal Regional water polo title in all-local final

Colton Bell sounded loudly in his boys water polo farewell for Bishop’s in the Southern California Regional Division 2 final.

The Knights’ senior scored pivotal goals to close the first half and then start the second in helping top-seeded Bishop’s pull away from Santana for a 12-6 victory at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut on Saturday.

“It was very special to have this game with the boys,” Bell said by phone. “We came into it with a lot of energy and anger, honestly, from the season. We knew that we should have better, and we used that energy in the right way.”

Bell finished with four goals, adding to his season output of more than 100, while sophomore teammate Aden Shin also scored four times.

The Knights (18-15) prevailed in the first final for both of the local schools in the eight-year history of the tourney.

“We played really together. The guys came in and did their role,” Knights coach Ian Davidson said. “We did a good job of staying steady and being very connected on defense.”

Bell accounted for a 6-4 halftime lead when he scored with six seconds before the intermission. His next goal at 29 seconds into the third quarter triggered a run that resulted in a 10-6 advantage to end the third quarter.

Sophomore Hanrui Liu contributed two goals for the Knights, who added this title to the 11 San Diego Section championships that they own. Both Bishop’s and No. 2 Santana (24-6), which met for the first time this season, earlier reached the San Diego Section Open Division semifinals.

Freshman Sebastian Trinidad had two goals to pace the Sultans, who enjoyed a landmark season after reaching the SoCal semifinals last year.

“I’m really happy with the season,” said Santana coach Rod Bowen, in his 31st season at the helm. “We accomplished more than any Santana team in history. I’m really proud of the kids. The effort that they put in was tremendous.”

The Sultans had just one returning starter from last season. Their starting lineup includes four juniors and a freshman.

“Bishop’s was a little better than us,” Bowen said. “But we have a lot of young kids, and we’ll be right back at it next year.”

Bishop’s became the third local Division 2 champion in four years. Included in that span are La Jolla (2023) and Cathedral Catholic (2022). Vista won the title twice (2018-19).

Dons fall in Division 1

Third-seeded Cathedral Catholic had the only win against No. 1 Newport Harbor this season heading into the final.

However, despite a late rally, the Dons couldn’t do it again as they fell 14-12 in the first Division 1 final appearance by a local team.

Down 13-9 in the fourth quarter, the Dons (26-6) rallied with back-to-back goals by junior Jett Taylor and a score by sophomore Diego Dantas to close with 13-12 with 2:13 left.

Top-seeded Newport Harbor (31-1) accounted for the final goal to secure its first crown since 2022 and third overall. The Sailors have played in the Division 1 final each year of the tourney.

Cathedral Catholic saw its two-year title reign end in the San Diego Section with its Open Division title loss to La Jolla, but the Dons rebounded to top the Vikings in the SoCal semifinals.

Temecula Valley wins in Division 3

The title went to top-seeded Temecula Valley, which topped No. 2 Covina Charter Oak 14-8. In the semifinals, Charter Oak ousted No. 3 Mar Vista.

Each of the three divisions had eight teams, including eight local schools overall.