Newport Harbor boys water polo produces 11-goal run against rival JSerra to capture first North vs. South Challenge crown

Newport Harbor knew the journey to winning its first North vs. South Challenge boys water polo title, let alone completing an unbeaten regular-season schedule, would likely come as the result of a second showdown this fall against rival JSerra, with the teams meeting for the third consecutive year in the tournament final.

And the Sailors found themselves tested early in Saturday’s championship match at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton, surrendering three straight goals during a three-minute stretch and twice trailing after JSerra scored the first goal in each of the opening two quarters.

But Newport Harbor quickly demonstrated why it is the top-ranked team in the country, unleashing a barrage of 11 unanswered goals and holding the Lions scoreless for more than 12 minutes during the second and third quarters to produce a 16-7 victory at the Dunlevie Aquatics Center.

The Sailors (27-0) finally secured a North vs. South Challenge crown after enduring an 8-7 loss in the 2022 final to JSerra, followed by a 15-9 setback against the Lions in last year’s championship.

Newport Harbor also completed a sweep of the South Coast, Elite 8 and North vs. South titles this season, contributing to the program’s first perfect regular-season record since 1978.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Saturday’s spectacular surge for the Sailors was 10 athletes scoring during the 11-goal run.

Lucca Van Der Woude, who led Newport Harbor with three goals, tied the score at 4-4 with 5:29 left in the second quarter.

Before JSerra (21-3) ended its offensive drought with 39 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Van Der Woude had scored again, with Newport Harbor also receiving goals from Kai Kaneko, Dash D’Ambrosia, Geoff Slutzky, Mason Netzer, Connor Ohl, Weston Hartel, James Mulvey, Hudson Parks and Shane Santoni.

Brian Barneuvo managed the lone third-quarter goal for JSerra, with Taylor Bell and Colt Bradley each scoring in the fourth for the Lions, who were attempting to become the first team to three-peat at the North vs. South Challenge since Mater Dei won four in a row from 2010-13.

Bell and Bradley both had two goals apiece, with Tyler Anderson and Dalton Haggard also scoring for JSerra, which endured a 14-6 loss Sept. 14 in the South Coast Tournament final to Newport Harbor, snapping the Lions’ 40-match winning streak.

Ohl, Parks, Santoni and Slutzky all contributed two goals for Newport Harbor, which relied on a defense anchored by senior goalkeeper Luke Harris to outscore its four tournament opponents by a 59-24 margin.

Newport Harbor advanced to the final with an 11-7 semifinal victory Saturday against Oaks Christian (18-7), scoring the first three goals and building a 6-1 advantage before halftime, as Kaneko had five goals and Van Der Woude added three goals for the Sailors.

Saul Biddle led the Lions with four second-half goals.

Oaks Christian rebounded to edge Harvard-Westlake 9-8 in the third-place match Saturday to achieve its best finish in tournament history, holding off a late charge by the Wolverines (13-9), who endured back-to-back losses to conclude the event following a 13-10 semifinal setback against JSerra.

Camden Kocur led Oaks Christian with three goals in the semifinal victory, with Wyatt Williamson and Biddle both scoring twice.

Otto Stothart had three goals and Collin Caras scored twice for Harvard-Westlake, which had finished third at the event the past two seasons.

Concord De La Salle remained within striking distance of Newport Harbor for three quarters in Friday’s quarterfinals, before the Sailors scored six straight goals during the first four minutes of the fourth to pull away for an 18-9 triumph.

The nine goals by Concord De La Salle tied for the most allowed in any contest this season by Newport Harbor, in addition to Sept. 5 against Santa Ana Foothill and Sept. 25 in a match with Corona del Mar.

Van Der Woude led the Sailors with six goals and Ohl added five goals, with Kaneko and Slutzky both scoring twice.

Concord De La Salle rebounded from an 18-17 loss in sudden-death overtime Saturday against Cathedral Catholic to secure seventh place with an 11-10 victory against Loyola.

Cathedral Catholic (17-6), which suffered a 13-10 quarterfinal loss to Oaks Christian, rebounded to take fifth after outlasting Concord De La Salle as well as earning a 9-6 triumph Saturday against host Sacred Heart Prep (11-8).

Newport Harbor opened the tournament Friday with a 14-1 victory against Tamalpais, holding the Red Tailed Hawks scoreless for more than 13 minutes to open the match, in addition to the entire second half.

Kaneko had three goals, with Cash Borggreve, Carter Pence and Ohl all scoring twice for the Sailors, who also surrendered only one goal Sept. 12 against Vista.

Newport Harbor also had an opportunity to compete Thursday against Greenwich School from Connecticut in a showcase match that wasn’t part of the official tournament schedule and scored the first nine goals in a 17-5 victory.

Hartel and Slutzky each had three goals, with Kaneko scoring twice for Newport Harbor, which played against another Connecticut program Brunswick School and prevailed 17-12 in a showcase contest ahead of the 2022 North vs. South Challenge.

Newport Harbor will begin its quest Oct. 29 to capture a CIF-Southern Section Open Division title, a potential third in four years for the Sailors, who are also seeking a 15th overall section championship in program history.