Barnett can’t complain

CORONA DEL MAR — Amid the splashing in the pool and the sounds of a whistle to start and stop play, a growl can usually be heard from the Newport Harbor High bench.

Whether it be to criticize a referee or correct one of his players, Newport Harbor girls’ water polo coach Bill Barnett can sometimes come off as if he’s not in the happiest of moods. But that wasn’t the case Saturday in a quarterfinal of the California State High School Championships.

The legendary Sailors’ coach couldn’t help but display contentment afterward.

“It went pretty well,” Barnett said with simplicity. “I have no complaints.”

That comes from beating a Back Bay rival to advance to the semifinals. It also comes from having another team that can contend for a CIF Southern Section Division I title. And, that also comes from having yet another player that could turn out to be special at two meters.

It’s still too early to say it all with certainty, but Barnett, who’s been coaching at Harbor since 1966, will assuredly have his girls believing they can win him his fourth CIF title and 14th overall. He won 10 boys’ titles and led the girls’ team to CIF championships in 1999, 2004, 2006 and 2008.

With the way Kaleigh Gilchrist was playing, most would think the Sailors have a good chance. The future Newport Harbor senior, who is also a standout surfer, scored five goals to lead the top-seeded Sailors to an 8-3 victory over Corona del Mar at the Sea Kings’ pool.

This time of the year was supposed to be reserved for competing in the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach for Gilchrist. The Sea Kings probably wished she was absent and instead catching waves. But, Gilchrist was busy here, scoring in a variety of ways, a back-hand here, a five-meter there. She just might end up being the Sailors’ top scorer when the girls’ season comes.

“There’s pressure, but I’m used to playing with this team since we were at 12-and-unders,” Gilchrist said of being featured at two meters. “I’m used to it. But it’s going to be pretty fun to see how I do.”

She looked like she had fun against the Sea Kings, as she helped lead the Sailors into today’s semifinals against Palos Verdes, 11 a.m. at CdM. The final is at 3 p.m., also at CdM.

Newport Harbor scored two goals in each quarter with Kailyn Obenauer, Maddy McLaren and Kate Klippert adding one goal each.

Meanwhile, reaching the quarterfinals proved to be a big-time positive for the Sea Kings, who saw 10 seniors leave the program, graduating last month. They had helped CdM reach the CIF Division I title match the past two years.

So now the Sea Kings are trying not so much to rebuild, but to recover. And, they’re doing it without their head coach during the summer. Coach Aaron Chaney is busy working as an assistant with the U.S. women’s national team. In his place, former CdM standouts Vivian Liao and Christina Hewko are guiding the team.

“They improve every day,” Liao said of the Sea Kings. “The team that came out at the beginning of the summer is not the same team now. They’ll be ready when the real season comes around.”

Margot Money, who will be a senior for CdM, led the Sea Kings with two goals and incoming freshman Cassidy Papa added one.

NEWPORT BOYS ADVANCE

The Newport Harbor boys’, also seeded No. 1, advanced to today’s semifinals with an 8-4 win against Coronado. Zach Lucas, a senior-to-be, led the Sailors with three goals and future senior Jack Yeager added one.

Newport Harbor will play against Loyola today at 11 a.m. at Newport Harbor. The final is at 3 p.m. at the Sailors’ pool.

Loyola beat Corona del Mar, 13-4, in the quarterfinals.