Roundup: Mar Vista wins first CIF water polo title

To go with his eight goals, Mar Vista senior Tanner Kavanagh also provided the push that sent his coach and father into the pool in celebration of the Mariners’ first CIF San Diego Section boys water polo championship.

Mar Vista overpowered Sage Creek 12-5 in the Division 3 final in the rain at La Jolla High’s Coggan Aquatic Complex on Saturday.

The title came in the 21st season for coach Chad Kavanagh, whose son grew up with the Mariners.

”I’m so happy,” said Tanner Kavanagh, a fourth-year varsity player. “This has been a dream of mine since I was a little boy.”

Tanner Kavanagh entered the game with a key tip from his dad as the fourth-seeded Mariners (18-3) faced their first final since 2018 and third overall.

“He just said, ‘Play your game,”’ he related. “We stuck to our game, and we won. It’s important not to overstress.”

Tanner scored the first three goals in helping build a 5-0 edge in the first quarter and blunt the No. 3 Bobcats (16-9) in their inaugural season.

Zyden Reiff and Nicholas Perez each added two goals for the Mariners, who held a 7-1 halftime lead.

Sage Creek goalie Curtis Goodrich made 11 saves and even scored a goal as a field player in the fourth quarter.

Mar Vista had six returning starters from last season’s team, which competed in D-2.

Oceanside captures Division 2 title

Watch out for Oceanside freshman Ozzy Wayne.

The Pirates ninth-grader scored three goals to help the top-seeded Pirates pull away from Grossmont for a 7-3 victory in their first section championship.

”It’s amazing, so cool (to win),” Wayne said. “It’s just a good experience playing with the older guys. Here, we just worked together.”

Wayne staked Oceanside (27-4) to a 3-2 halftime lead with a goal on a backhand shot with 4:16 to go before the intermission and led a scoring run for a 5-2 edge to end the third period.

The Pirates received two goals each from Colin DuBois and Daniel Fritz.

Carson Hall made 10 saves for No. 2 Grossmont (24-5), which appeared in its first final since winning the 2017 D-1 title.

First-year Pirates coach John-William Bryant also guided the Classical Academy to the D-3 title in 2018.

“Defense wins championships,” Bryant said. “We’ve done it all season.”

Torrey Pines wins in Division 1

Torrey Pines senior Lukas Andranian came out of the pool clapping and cheering.

His goal with exactly one minute remaining capped a 9-8 comeback victory over top-seeded Canyon Crest Academy for the Falcons’ first section title.

“It’s just everything that we’ve worked for this season,” said Andranian, who finished with three goals. “We came together as a team. It’s a surreal feeling,”

After facing a 5-2 halftime deficit, No. 2 Torrey Pines (17-11) moved ahead with all five goals in the third quarter. The Ravens pulled even at 8-8 with 2:45 left on a goal by Sardor Sattarov, but Andranian then decided matters with a mid-range crossing shot.

”That’s just us,” Andranian said. “We don’t give up. I knew we had it in us.”

Julian Breeze had four goals to lead the Falcons in their first final since 2006.

Canyon Crest (22-8) was denied its second title in five years. Leon Kaszan spearheaded the Ravens with three goals, all in the first half.

The Falcons avenged a regular-season loss to Canyon Crest. Each team moved from the Open Division this season.

Carlsbad makes regionals

Ryan Fresca recorded the last of his five goals on a penalty shot with 36 seconds left to lift Carlsbad over Poway 11-10 for a repeat berth in the Southern California Regional Championships.

The Lancers (17-11) scored the last four goals over the final 2:41 to overcome Poway (15-11), led by Max Kellerman with seven goals.

Also advancing to the SoCal playoffs are the four Open Division semifinalists and the three other division champions.