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The one loss on the ledger of Newport Harbor’s boys water polo team entering the finals of the CIF Southern California Regional didn’t necessarily burn in the side of the Sailors.
Yes, they had lost to their opponent in Saturday’s Division I championship — Cathedral Catholic — in a nonleague match on Oct. 11 but plenty of good came from the setback, players said.
“We needed that loss,” Newport Harbor senior Connor Ohl recently said. “(It got) everyone’s head on straight (that) we’re beatable. We’re not invincible. I think from that moment on, that’s when everybody started buying into the whole process.”
Senior Kai Kaneko agreed, “It was like a switch. After that game, we were a different team.”
On Saturday, more good flowed that one defeat.
Newport Harbor punctuated a historic season by defeating Cathedral Catholic 14-12 at Mt. SAC for its first regional championship since 2021.
In defeating the San Diego Section powerhouse for the fifth time in six matches this fall, Newport Harbor (33-1) added the regional crown to the record 16th CIF Southern Section title secured on Nov. 15.
Kaneko scored four goals and Ohl added three to pace the offense. Center Geoff Slutzky and attacker Dash D’Ambrosia each added two goals.
Slutzky, a center, drew five exclusions and three penalties.
Connor Clougherty made 12 saves to help lead the Newport Harbor defense.
The Sailors took a 10-9 lead into the fourth quarter before scoring the first three goals to help seal the victory.
In affirming its season-long narrative, Newport Harbor’s top contributors were again seniors.
In other results Saturday, The Bishop’s (Division II) and Temecula Valley (Division III) also won regional titles.
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