Postseason polo arrives

BREAKTHROUGH VICTORY-Royal's Robert Lubell holds the ball high while Agoura's Jake Smither applies the defense in the teams' regular-season finale last Friday. Agoura won 6-5 to gain a share of the Marmonte League championship. The Chargers are the No. 1 seed for the CIF-SS Division IV playoffs. With the regular season in the books, it's time to separate the men from the boys as the water polo postseason starts Friday for the majority of local high school teams.

Two teams from the Marmonte League, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks, already got its second season underway and both teams advanced.

T.O. beat Oxnard 76 Tuesday to advance to the second round, where they'll play Righetti High, who finished the season undefeated in the Pac-7 League.

"It was a very close game and they (Oxnard) played very well against us," Thousand Oaks head coach Mike Giles said. "I thought we let them back in the game near the end, as we had 20 missed shot opportunities. It wasn't pretty, but we'll take the win."

Also winning its wild card game for Division IV was Moorpark, who beat Carpinteria 14-7. Moorpark will play Mira Costa in the second round.

To advance deep in the postseason, senior Ben Hadley and brothers Trevor and Tyler Johnson will have to step up their games. Goalkeeper Chris Huffman should be a factor as well.

After beating Royal in the final game of the regular season, Agoura earned the No. 1 seed in the Marmonte League with an 11-1 league record.

The Chargers play Atascadero to open the postseason and will need goalkeeper Ryan Paris to be on his game. Alex Thompson and Jake Smither should make a difference for AHS. According to head coach Dustin Litvak, the team's success will depend on its defense.

"I think if we limit our mistakes on offense and continue to play tough defense we should be all right," Litvak said. "We are a very defensive-minded team, as only one team has scored double digits on us this year and that was Royal in the first game of the year."

One of the reasons for the team's defensive success has been Paris, who Litvak said has really stepped up his play in the last two and a half weeks.

"Historically, he (Paris) has not done that great against Royal, so for him to have a big game against them last week was huge. I think it's great for his confidence," Litvak said.

"No Agoura team has ever made the finals, and the last time we made the semifinals was 1998. I think we had a great year this season but it's the time of the year now where you throw away everything on paper. The team that plays the best for their next four games is going to win it," Litvak said.

With the brackets set up the way they are in Division IV, Royal may get a chance to play the Chargers for the third time this season in the title game.

Royal also finished the season with an 11-1 league record but begin the playoffs with the No. 2 seed out of the Marmonte League. Before the Highlanders get a chance at a rematch with Agoura, Royal will have to focus on their first game against Malibu, who is the TriValley League's No. 2 seed.

Scott Snyder, Barry Snyder, Blake Hubbell and Tyler McClure must play well for the Highlanders to be successful.

After going undefeated in league, Oaks Christian earned the No. 1 seed out of the TriValley, and will face Cabrillo in the first round. Senior John Pare is a key player for the Lions.

Rio Mesa High will also compete in Division IV.