Some people consider the number 13 unlucky, but that certainly wasn’t the case for Point Loma High’s boys water polo team. The team scored exactly 13 goals in a CIF Div. III semifinal victory last week against Otay Ranch (13-9), then scored an identical total last Saturday afternoon in a 13-6 win over Bonita Vista that gave the Pointers the first CIF water polo title in school history. And, ironically, it was a 13-year-old freshman who scored the first two Pointer goals in what quickly evolved into a dominating victory over a frustrated Baron team in the title match at La Jolla High’s pool. Kai Ball, a 5-11, 175-pound ninth-grader, finished the match with four goals, tying his team captain, junior Brendan McMahon, for top scoring honors. Other goals went to seniors Matteo Camacho-Bier (2) and Cole Cintas along with juniors Caleb Wooldridge and Adam Watson in front of a sizable turnout of parents and students. Junior goalkeeper Zac James-Fortune recorded nine saves before yielding to sophomore Jacob Zalensny in the final period as head coach Ken Toma emptied his bench. After the match, Toma’s players cheered as he was pushed into the pool in celebration. With their sweep of three playoff games, the Dogs swam to an impressive overall record of 26-4, including an undefeated run (10-0) through the City Central League. Camacho-Bier is finishing his third year on varsity and one of only five seniors on the Pointer roster. He recalled how his teammates have been working to make this CIF title become a reality. “We had a lot of really dedicated people this year,” Camacho-Bier said after the match. “We’ve all wanted this since our freshman year, so we’ve been playing year-round, getting better and trying to make sure we could win this our senior year.” “We’ve all been growing up together since elementary school,” he added, “so we’re like a bunch of best friends who’ve been going through this together.” Toma took over a team that had won only seven games each in 2012 and 2013. The Pointers won 15 last year before the current CIF title squad. How was this accomplished? “We did a lot of team bonding activities,” Toma explained, “with team dinners and beach workouts, always talking about what we wanted to do better. All of our teams (varsity, junior varsity and a novice team for less-experienced players) get along very well, and it’s just a very tight-knit group.” “We’re going to be a senior-heavy team next year, and I think we’ll do really well in Div. II, assuming we move up,” Toma predicted. That lucky number 13 comes up one more time, as the head coach plus a group of 12 players from this historic team will return, hungry for a repeat in 2016. EXTRA POINTS: Pointer players work out year-round at the San Diego Shores Water Polo Club. Teams and instruction are offered for boys and girls ages 10-18. Interested swimmers and parents can learn more at www.sandiegoshores.net.
About 12 PLHS student spectators jumped into the pool with their schoolmates when the final horn signaled the end of the title match.
The only minimum age restriction on students playing varsity sports is in football, where there is a 14-year-old minimum that also requires permission from parents in addition to statements of readiness from medical personnel and the school’s head coach.
