Newport Beach boys’ water polo teams win in Santa Barbara

It was triple the pleasure for Newport Beach Water Polo Club teams competing in the Santa Barbara MR Memorial Cup over the Jan. 24-25 weekend.

The NBWPC 14-and-under, 12-and-under and 10-and-under boys’ teams all won gold up north.

The 14-and-under squad, coached by Stefano Ragosa, defeated Vanguard and Orange County in a round-robin final. They were a perfect 5-0 in the tournament.

“The guys did not play as well as usual, but for some reason Santa Barbara is always a tough tournament for us,” Ragosa said. “I am proud of the guys for the reaction they had, fighting through to win every game of the tournament.”

Team members on the 14-and-under squad included Cal Meyer, Jack White, Jack Reid, Oliver Teitscheid, Jonathan Rimlinger, Jake Wilson, Ian Minsterman, Nathan Porter, Charlie Covina, Makoto Kenney, Isaac Love, Jake Sullivan and Harrison Halperin.

Marco Palazzo coached the victorious 12-and-under team. Team members included goalie William Harrington, Elias Liechty, Joe Callari, Jackson Banta, Gus Oeding, Richie Rimlinger, Sam Allen, Luke Redoutey, Kiernen Springborn, Mason Hunt, Billy Rankin, William Kelly and Grant Loth.

“It was a great weekend for our Newport boys,” Palazzo said. “They were so happy about the tournament. These kids deserve this joy, because they work so hard each and every practice. It is fun for us as coaches to work with them.”

The NBWPC 10-and-under team included goalie Ryder Wendell-Cook, Dane Clayton, Ben Leichty, Tyler Slutzky, Finn LeSieur, Quinn Bartlett, Owen Tift, Blake Postil, Spencer Parsons and Nick Kennedy. Leichty and LeSieur were top players, Coach Chelsea Harrod said.

— From staff reports