LJ b water polo: Wins CIF Open title, 13-12

A Cathedral Catholic player walks down the deck

as La Jolla players and students join in the pool

following the Vikings' 13-12 win

for the CIF Open Division championship

Sat., Nov. 15. (Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

There are going to be a lot of La Jolla High boys--and the three coaches--calling in sick Monday, Nov. 17, with the flu after they all jumped in the pool following Saturday's CIF Open title game.

Well, probably, not really.

But it was a thought, after the Vikings--recently in the shadow of Cathedral Catholic's water polo team, and before that, Bishop's--took a neck-and-neck 13-12 victory over the Dons.

For three quarters, Coach Tom Atwell's squad (he being one of the wet ones afterwards) played Cathedral evenly.

With the score tied 8-8 late in the third period, the Vike offense made a mistake and threw a pass out of bounds. The Dons capitalized, scoring on a goal by senior Colin McPhail.

Coach Tommy Corcoran's visitors to Coggan Pool added another goal by sophomore Diego Dantas to go up 10-8, ending the third period.

You wondered if it all was going to unravel for La Jolla, after playing such a strong three quarters against a number-one-seeded Don team that had won the teams' two Western League matches and came in heavily favored.

Dexter Black (4, white cap) of La Jolla winds up

for the winning goal on a penalty shot

with 29 seconds remaining.

But with the students, now soaking wet after a midgame downpour, cheering them on, the Vikings' Dexter Black scored only his second goal of the game to begin the final quarter. He followed with another goal less than a minute later.

With the score 11-10, Cathedral leading, Lev Kevorkian, who scored the key goal in La Jolla's win over Poway in the semifinals, knotted the game at 11-11 with a dagger.

Henry Glenister again tied the game 12-12 with 1:04 left.

That set the stage for Black's penalty shot with 29 seconds left to take the title 13-12 and the San Diego Section's number-one seed into the Southern California Regionals Tues., Nov. 18, at home against Loyola (LA) (5 p.m. start).

The entire game, Corcoran's game-planning had put a double team on Dexter to check his role in the offense. The Vikings found a way to spread the scoring around, as senior Nate Thomson, who won the sprints to open each of the last three quarters, scored a pair. Center Tor Martin, in his final season as a senior, added two more.

Junior Quinn Daniels was effective in the first half, scoring goals in the first and second quarters.