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SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — The skip shot. It’s one of the toughest shots in water polo for a goalie to block but also can challenge young shooters to execute.
Santa Margarita’s boys water polo team showed its mastery of the shot on Wednesday.
The Eagles used the skip shot to net several goals from the perimeter, including the eventual winner, in securing an 11-10 victory at JSerra for the Trinity League title.
Before a packed crowd at JSerra, Santa Margarita (24-3, 5-0) took an 11-9 lead with 25 seconds left in regulation on a skip shot strike from the wing by David Greenfield.
JSerra (18-10, 4-1), the three-time defending league champion, scored with six seconds left but the Eagles ran out the clock to claim their first league crown since 2021.
Santa Margarita also signaled its status as an CIF-SS Open Division contender.
“(We’re) going to be a handful for anybody,” first-year Eagles coach Ivan Buich said. “We shot really well even with the lesser shots we took.”
“JSerra is an amazing team,” the coach added. “You have to prepare for them.”
Five different Santa Margarita players combined to scored eight goals from perimeter against senior Jonas Ransford, one of Orange County’s best goalies and a CIF-SS Open Division champion.
Santa Margarita’s balanced attack received three goals from Tannor Bachuber and two apiece from Greenfield, Tanner Gorman and reserve Owen Raney.
The Eagles’ production was all the more impressive considering leading scorer and sharp-shooter Evan Wu tallied one goal on a penalty shot drawn by center Logan McGann.
JSerra coach Brett Ormsby said he was surprised how well Santa Margarita shot from the outside.
“We started on that side kind of looking into the sun and I think that impacted Jonas a little bit,” Ormsby said of Ransford, who still had 10 blocks.
“We definitely didn’t shot block well. Field players did not actively attack the ball (and) shot block well. Santa Margarita did.”
Wu and Bachuber each had two field blocks in the first half. Wu finished with two steals, including one that wiped out a JSerra power play.
Santa Margarita goalie Pedro Mattiazo finished with eight saves, including one against a 7-on-6 attack with 13 seconds left that loomed significant.
Senior Connor Colman scored five goals to lead JSerra. The Lions started two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior with Colman and Ransford.
“Despite all that, I think those guys where they’re at right now can put together a better performance than that even at their age,” Ormsby said. “We got a lot of work to do.”
The CIF-SS playoff pairings are scheduled be announced Friday at 2 p.m.
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