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Michael Bury

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Steve Virgen

It is safe to assume that Michael Bury is a factor in every game.

Opposing coaches who prepare to play Newport Harbor High, know

they must be ready for perhaps the best two-meter man in CIF Southern

Section Division I boys water polo. Bury (pronounced berry) is not

just a well-known player, he is a well-scouted player.

When Newport Harbor is playing, the spotlight is on Bury and the

pressure is on. He feels it, he knows of it, but he doesn’t focus on

it. He’s too busy pursuing his breakout, signature game, which he has

not had this season, his coach, Jason Lynch said.

Bury has scored 47 goals through 17 games, nearly three goals a

game, but there could be in more in store.

“Most people know that he’s the primary person to stop,” Lynch

said. “The frustration is that he gets the ball and he’s not mixing

up his shots enough. He’s very receptive. He wants to do better and

he has the potential to do better. I think he should be at five

[goals] a game. He’s that dominant of a player.”

Bury’s presence is imposing, while his absence usually results in

an advantage for opponents.

When Newport Harbor lost to Foothill, 11-10, in overtime at Corona

del Mar High, two weeks ago, the Knights’ scorekeeper was ecstatic

when Bury picked up his third ejection. With 1:43 left in the first

overtime, Bury was assessed his third ejection on a change of

possession.

Foothill’s scorekeeper, who was sitting on the ground, jumped to

her feet, grabbed the red flag and emphatically waved it while she

jumped up and down. The game’s official scorekeeper is supposed to

signal when a player is majored, but the representative from Foothill

wanted the Knights to know right away: Bury was out.

Without Bury, the Sailors scored one goal, but were hard-pressed

to rally past Foothill in a game that most likely determined the Sea

View League title.

“That game was a pretty big letdown,” Bury said. “That was pretty

crushing. But we’ve gotten back on our horse and we’re getting better

so, that way, we can play better the next time we play them.”

The loss to Foothill eventually motivated Bury and the Sailors.

Bury, who is in his senior year, has had incentive to perform at a

high level. Now, he seems to have turned it up a notch. Still, the

Newport boys water polo team believes Bury’s best is yet to come.

“I still think he can be performing better than he is,” Lynch

said. “I don’t want to say he’s struggling because I still think he’s

one of the best, if not the best, two-meter man in Division I. I’m

waiting for him to have his big breakout game.”

Bury, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, started to head for

that type of performance last week, when he scored 12 goals in two

games, leading the Sailors to a nonleague victory over Laguna Beach

and a Sea View League win over Aliso Niguel.

“You can’t ever question that he’s not trying to do the best he

can,” Lynch said. “At times, he gets tired. He’s going hard out

there. He has been doing this for three years, and he has definitely

been progressing as a two-meter man.”

Lynch said Bury is definitely an NCAA Division I prospect. Bury

will wait until after the season to take recruiting trips and decide

where to continue his career.

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