Boys water polo: Bowlus powers CdM into semifinals

Richard Dunn

CORONA DEL MAR - Talk about getting bowled over. No matter where

the defense tried to stop Corona del Mar High’s Garrett Bowlus, it was a

tidal wave for the Sea Kings’ offense.

“(Bowlus) scored from everywhere,” CdM boys water polo coach John

Vargas said. “Whether it was from four meters, a counterattack, a 6 on 5

or from two meters, he played the whole game and found a way to score.”

Bowlus scored a season-high eight goals as the host Sea Kings defeated

Edison, 13-9, in the CIF Southern Section Division II quarterfinals

Wednesday.

“Garrett’s been playing well the last two weeks, and I just had a

feeling he would have a good game,” said Vargas, whose top-seeded team

(20-5) built a 7-3 halftime lead, before winning by the same margin.

CdM, which defeated Edison last year in the first round of the

Division II playoffs, 13-6, will face fellow Pacific Coast League member

Laguna Beach after the latter shocked Serra League champion and

fourth-seeded Santa Margarita in the semifinals, 10-8. It will be Saturday at a site and time to be determined. Laguna Beach will be the

designated host.

The back-to-back Pacific Coast League champion Sea Kings, who won the

CIF Division II title last year, snapped a 2-2 tie against Edison (22-7)

when Bowlus scored with 1:39 left in the first quarter on an assist by

Chriss Street.

Marcello Pantuliano made one of his two first-half steals for CdM on

the Chargers’ next series, but the Sea Kings could not convert.

However, on Edison’s return trip down the pool, the Chargers turned

the ball over on a bad pass during a 6-on-5 advantage and Corona del

Mar’s speed beat them on the counterattack, setting a penalty shot by

Bowlus with 0:16 to play in the opening quarter.

Two early counterattack goals in the second quarter increased CdM’s

lead to 6-2. Bowlus lobbed one over Edison goalie Nick Espinoza’s head,

then sophomore Artie Dorr (four goals) scored from the hole 2:16 into the

period.

“I think (the Sea Kings’) overall strength, just as a team, was the

difference,” said Edison Coach Jans Baltgalvis, who fields no seniors.

“They’ve got a lot bigger guys, and a lot older guys ... they really

outplayed us with their fifth and sixth players. They took advantage of

our weaker players.”

To open the second half, Bowlus scored again on the counterattack on a

pass from Dorr, giving CdM an 8-3 lead.

“Artie and I made eye contact, and I just tipped it in,” said Bowlus,

who went high out of the water to make a great play.

Bowlus also scored on an assist from CdM goalie Beau Stockstill (seven

saves) with 4:10 left in the third quarter and during a man-up advantage,

unleashing a missile to the back of the cage with 0:36 on the clock.

“That quick shot up at the top was pretty sweet, on that pass from

Beau from the cage,” said Bowlus, when pressed to reveal his favorite

among the eight tallies.

In the fourth quarter, Corona del Mar opened up a 12-6 lead, its

largest of the game. On a pass from Bowlus, Michael March scored on the

first possession of the fourth quarter, then Dorr added a goal from the

hole, beating Edison’s Cody Tague, with 5:18 left in the contest.

After an Edison goal, Bowlus provided perhaps his finest feat of the

quarterfinals, scoring from the hole on a lob shot while two Edison

players were hanging on him and a third, Edison goalie Espinoza, was

within an arm’s length. That came with 3:32 left and gave CdM a 13-7

edge.

“Edison was fronting a lot on defense, and we have that in our

offense,” Bowlus said. “If a guy fronts anybody on our team, it’s totally

to our benefit. I’d let them front me, because they can’t see the ball,

and we can.”

Corona del Mar starting goalie Sherwin Kim finished with nine

first-half saves, including six in the second quarter when Edison began

to pepper the net with eight shots on goal.

CIF DIVISION II QUARTERFINALS

Corona del Mar 13, Edison 9

Score by Quarters

Edison 2 1 3 3 - 9

Corona del Mar 4 3 3 3 - 13

Edison - Tague 5, Wickham 2, Schuberth 1, Budnick 1. Saves - Espinoza

5.

Corona del Mar - Bowlus 8, Dorr 4, March 1. Saves - Kim 9, Stockstill

7.