JSerra, Newport Harbor advance to Southern Section Open Division water polo final
How are you supposed to beat a high school water polo team that has the best player in America who spent the last 10 days scoring 28 goals for the USA national team to help it qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris?
Ryder Dodd is back playing for unbeaten JSerra (26-0), and he returned just in time to score goals on five of his first seven shots Wednesday to spark the Lions to a 14-6 victory over Corona del Mar in the semifinals of the Southern Section Open Division playoffs.
JSerra will face a familiar opponent in Saturday’s championship game at Mt. San Antonio College. Two-time defending champion Newport Harbor earned its spot in the final with a dramatic 12-11 victory over Harvard-Westlake on a goal by Connor Ohl that was scored as the buzzer sounded during a six-on-five advantage.
Newport Harbor defeated JSerra in last year’s final, 10-9. JSerra has defeated Newport Harbor twice this season.
In Division 3, El Segundo improved to 31-0 and advanced to the championship with a 9-6 win over Yucaipa. Nolan Barnett had a couple of key goals for the Eagles. El Segundo will face Anaheim Canyon, a 16-14 winner over Murrieta Valley.
In the biggest upset of Wednesday’s quarterfinals, Birmingham had six interceptions in eliminating No. 2 Crenshaw, 19-0.
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