CdM extends CIF title streak

Rick Devereux

A dynasty is defined as “a succession of rulers.”

The Corona del Mar High girls water polo team has ruled CIF

Southern Section Division II pools for three years after beating

Laguna Beach, 9-5, Monday at Belmont Plaza. It marked the fourth

straight division title for the Sea Kings. CdM won the Division IV

championship in 2002.

“I think this is the first CdM team to win four straight

championships,” senior Jordan Anae said. “It is my complete privilege

to be part of it.”

Anae has been more than just a part of it, she has been a leading

reason for the championships. She finished with two goals Monday

against the Breakers to bring her season total to a team-leading 71.

Junior two-meter player Camille Hewko had a game-high four goals

for the Sea Kings. She gave CdM a 1-0 lead four minutes, 49 seconds

into the game on her close-range shot.

Hewko had to work for all of her goals as at least one Laguna

player, sometimes two or three, collapsed to deny the ball inside.

She had a turn-and-shoot goal early in the second period with a

Breaker player dunking Hewko underwater. Hewko’s least contested goal

of the evening gave CdM a 4-1 lead when she collected the rebound

from Cari Levine’s shot and threw the ball into the back of the net.

“It was a team effort,” Hewko said. “The whole team has played

great through the entire playoffs.”

It was the third time this season CdM (24-7) beat Pacific Coast

rival Laguna Beach. The previous two -- in the Santa Barbara

tournament and in league play -- were CdM blowouts, but despite the

four-goal advantage at the end of the game, the CIF final was close.

After the Sea Kings took a 5-1 lead at the half, Laguna Beach

emphasized its counterattack to score three consecutive goals to make

it 5-4 with less than a minute left in the third quarter.

One counterattack resulted in a penalty shot for Addison Doud. The

senior, who was stopped two of the thee times she had a penalty shot

in the league championship game Feb. 9, converted on a ball placed in

the bottom-left corner.

Another counterattack led to a CdM exclusion. While the Sea Kings

were able to stave off a goal with a player excluded, Laguna did

score just as CdM was at full strength and the player re-entered the

game.

“I thought our girls stopped playing offense,” Coach Aaron Chaney

said. “[Laguna Beach] started countering and sending people up the

pool.”

The Sea Kings seemed to be energized by the close score, putting

in a goal just 11 seconds after Laguna’s Katherin Gordon lobbed in a

goal from the wing with 47 seconds left in the third.

Anae scored her second goal of the game early in the fourth from

the 2-meter mark and Katlin Kubas scored a minute later to increase

the lead to 8-4. Cari Levine’s rifle shot from about 10 meters out

made it 9-4.

“We were a little worried [when Laguna got within a goal],” Fullen

said. “But it made us step it up.”

Chaney has only known championships with the Sea Kings. CdM is

16-0 in the playoffs in Chaney’s four years as coach. But winning

titles has not become old hat for him yet.

“Everyone of [the championships] is special because the kids are

different and the seniors are different,” he said.

One player who has been an integral part of the continued success

has been goalkeeper Brittany Fullen.

Fullen, who stopped nine shots Monday, was named the Division II

Player of the Year last year and was Pacific Coast League Co-MVP with

Hewko.

“This year was the most challenging,” Fullen said. “But it was the

best because we had such a team effort in this game, this tournament

and the entire season.”

Fullen and Anae join seniors Kubas, Ashley Hyter, Annie Winners as

well as Whitney Caskey to end their careers.

Hewko, who was second on the team with 49 goals, wants to leave in

the manner that she has become accustomed -- winning championships.

“We won CIF when I was a freshman, a sophomore and now this year,”

she said. “I want to make it four years in a row for me.”

CIF Division II

Final

Corona del Mar 9,

Laguna Beach 5

Score by Quarters

*--*

CdM 2 3 1 3 -- 9

Laguna 1 0 3 1 -- 5

*--*

Corona del Mar -- Hewko 4, Levine 2, J. Anae 1, Kubas 1, Indvik 1.

Saves -- Fullen 9.

Laguna Beach -- Gordon 2, Doud 2, McKee 1. Saves -- Thomson 7.