By Ed Piper
La Jolla's streaking boys water polo team won the 4 p.m. final in the America's Finest City Tournament at Coronado High Saturday, Sept. 21, over Rio Americano (American River, Northern California) in a 12-10 cliffhanger.
Coach Tom Atwell's squad is playing great water polo just before the opener of the Western League schedule Wed., Sept. 25, against Coronado at the same site the Vikings won the AFC tourney title at.
On the way to the title, La Jolla clocked Ventura, 15-5, in the opening game of the tourney Friday morning, Sept. 20. Later, they beat Bonita, 21-4.
In their first game on the second day of the tournament, the Vikings mopped the pool with Westview, 16-4, letting up at the end.
La Jolla then downed Menlo, a Northern California power, 12-5, in the semifinals that set up the title game against Rio Americano.
Two weeks ago, competing in the Menlo tourney in the Stanford area up north, the Vikings placed fourth.
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The lowly Islanders, having enjoyed past glory before COVID and under legendary Coach Randy Burgess, straggled in in 15th place (second to last) in their own tournament, which in former years took place on the Strand in Coronado, as well as at the campus pool location where it is now held.
Burgess refereed matches during this weekend's tournament, chatting with Atwell and other coaches during games and otherwise as he went about his duties. He retired after the Fall 2015 high school season after 33 seasons, winning 715 games at Coronado.
A former Coronado player he coached, Jesse Smith, a 6'4", 240-pound U.S. Olympic silver medalist in 2008, is the present Islander coach.
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