Junior Avi Cavaiola scores against Torrey Pines
in the second quarter of a 20-13 CIF Open
quarterfinal Feb. 11. Six 11th-graders have
played key roles for the Vikings this season,
portending well for 2027.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
By Ed Piper
La Jolla's girls water polo team, led by senior captain Stella Tezcan, takes the top seed into today's (Feb. 24) 4 p.m. home game against Glendora, the eighth seed, in the first round of the Southern California Regionals.
The Vikings, with firepower from juniors Cora Pfau and Aviana Cavaiola, rank among the elite three of the San Diego Section, with a record of 22-7 overall and 4-2 in the Western League--the only two losses to Bishop's, ranked fifth in the nation, fifth in the state.
All the talk about "physicality" and who pushes who around is really a family feud, local to San Diego. Coach Tom Atwell's squad is still one of the top three teams in the area, and that is attested to by the fact Bishop's is the fourth seed in Division 1 of the Regionals, and Valhalla is the seventh seed.
The cross-town-rival Knights play at home today at 5 p.m., hosting San Marcos of Santa Barbara.
Junior Avery Edstrom, joining classmates Pfau and Cavaiola, has also had a strong season, peppering opponents with key goals and beefing up La Jolla's overall strength. Yet another junior, Taylor Goldstein--making the Class of 2027 very talented--has played effectively in Atwell's rotation.
Coach Tom Atwell trusts Alicia Vargas Lopez (5)
enough to start her and play her during crucial
stretches of games. The "facilitator" has added
more to her game this season.
Probably the unsung hero of the starting lineup is Alicia Lopez Vargas. Yep, you guessed it. She's a junior, as well. Asked her role earlier in the season, the coach responded, "She's a facilitator." Well, she's grown wings and filled a bigger role than that through the second half of the season.
Finally, 11th-grader Sophie Trinidad continues to fulfill a key function in the rotation. She sees a ton of playing time while the outcomes of games are still in question.
Newcomer of the year? Carys Villano, who as a ninth-grader has started most or all of the Vikings' games this season. She started out well, and she continues to get seasoning and see what "life in the big city" is about in facing Bishop's in league and Valhalla in non-league and playoff games. She carries the torch for the freshmen, as Mackenzie Adams and Zoe Griffis continue to see spot playing time. Tall Jane Peay, the fourth freshman, broke fingers on one hand and has a cast on for the last several games.
As the top seed in D2 (Regional divisional assignments never correspond to San Diego Section designation), La Jolla could do very well this week. If they win today, the Vikes face the winner of the Santa Barbara-Carlsbad game on the upper end of the bracket. They can beat Carlsbad, and Santa Barbara would seem to be at a similar level due to seeding--and La Jolla would get the home game again Thursday.
Tezcan and crew beat La Serna, on the lower end of the bracket, twice during the season in tournaments: 15-11 on Jan. 10 in the Troy Tournament, and 17-8 in the Vikings' own tourney, the Beaches Invitational, on Jan. 16.
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