LAST LINE OF DEFENSE—Getting shots past Agoura High junior goalkeeper Sierra Barton has been a tough assignment this year. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers Jason Rosenthal is a busy man at Agoura High.

The school’s athletic director coaches the third-ranked girls’ water polo team in CIF-Southern Section Division 2.

Rosenthal and his wife, Jennifer, are parents of 9-month-old daughter, Peyton, their first child together. Peyton sat on the bench for a few games this season.

When Rosenthal’s not guiding the Chargers from the pool deck, he’s attending Agoura basketball and soccer games, which run late into the night.

“This is the busy season,” Rosenthal said, “running from one thing to the next.”

While Rosenthal handles being a dad, husband, coach and athletic director, the girls’ water polo squad is running the Marmonte League into the ground.

ALL THE RIGHT ANGLES—Charger Kimi Chavez wraps a pass around her teammate during Monday’s practice at the AHS pool. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers Entering the week, the Chargers were 15- 4 overall and 9-0 in league.

With the playoffs around the corner, the Chargers have started playing with a sense of urgency.

“They’re really starting to come together at the right time,” the coach said. “We’re not relying on one girl to do all the work.

“We’ve grown over the course of the season. Some girls didn’t know their roles at the beginning. They’ve figured their roles out.”

The formula for success remains simple: Coach the youngsters up as freshmen and create high expectations for all levels.

Not only have the varsity Chargers won 12 of 14 Marmonte titles, including seven straight, the younger players dominate, too.

Agoura junior varsity girls have secured every league crown, while the frosh-soph squads have captured 10 of 11 league banners.

No Agoura squad, at any level, has lost a Marmonte match since 2003-04.

“Kids come in and learn it quick,” Rosenthal said.

The varsity girls excel with aggressive, relentless defense and quick ball movement on offense.

Three Chargers have already signed scholarships to play college water polo: India Forster (UCLA), Megan Linder (Loyola Marymount) and Kimi Chavez (Siena).

Multiple players step up around Forster, Linder and Chavez.

Emily Smith, a sophomore attacker, is the only lefty among 42 student-athletes in the program, Rosenthal said.

Smith improved dramatically this offseason to earn a starting role. The fast swimmer has also developed a solid shot.

“We all stress defense before offense,” Smith said. “Defense leads to the rest of our game.”

The sophomore said Agoura picked up a confidence-building win Jan. 7 against Santa Margarita, another Division 2 power.

“There’s definitely a lot of individual talent. We’re all talented, not to sound cocky,” Smith said.

“If we just play for ourselves, nothing happens. We need to play for each other. We have to keep working as hard as we can.”

On a team of grind- it- out student-athletes, nobody works harder than the energetic Sierra Barton, according to Rosenthal.

Barton, a junior goalie, has witnessed the Chargers develop into a more cohesive team, with players making an effort to spend time together outside the pool.

While the Chargers are usually sluggish for Monday practices, the goalie said she was pleased with the first practice this week.

“Today was really productive,” Barton said. “Everyone was really on target. There was a lot of effort, a lot of communication and shared passes. We learned a couple new plays. Everyone put in the effort and focus to make sure to get it down.”

Barton grew up playing goalkeeper in soccer. She decided to play water polo as a freshman because of a guaranteed roster spot on the frosh-soph team. Making the cut in fútbol wasn’t certain.

After struggling as a field player, Barton quickly found her niche in the cage.

“I’m glad I stuck with it,” said Barton, who’s involved with the Math Honors Society.

Whitney Stane, a junior whole set, is one of the team’s most experienced players. She started playing water polo in sixth grade.

“We’ve improved a lot as a team,” Stane said. “We have a long ways to go.”

Teamwork is the Chargers’ main focus.

“When we play together as a team, we play better and we’re much more successful,” said Stane, whose brother Chris won a section championship with the Agoura boys in 2009-10.

“We all want to win. We all want to do it as a team.”

Stane’s emergence at premier whole set has taken pressure off Forster to score so much.

Linder is a strong all-around player and the squad’s fastest swimmer. She frustrates opponents by perpetually moving, with or without the ball.

The senior utility and driver always pushes her teammates. Linder doesn’t play water polo to win popularity contests; she just wants to win.

“When I was a freshman my older seniors pushed me,” said Linder, who grew up playing hockey and soccer.

“In practice with the younger girls, I push them. It sucks for them. I’m always on everyone’s case. It’s going to help in the long run.”

Forster is a talented athlete with size and speed.

A senior whole set, Forster spent two weeks this offseason playing in Hungary with the U.S. youth national team.

She’s the Chargers’ primary offensive threat.

Chavez, a senior whole guard, is an intense, aggressive defender.

Kristi McGee, a junior 2-meter defender, often guards foes’ strongest players. She’s also improving her offensive repertoire.

Maggie Kurzeka, a senior utility, is a knowledgeable studentathlete who does a lot of little things right, Rosenthal said.

Claralyse Palmer, a junior driver, is a fast, aggressive role player who also runs cross country. In the fall, Palmer sometimes ran six miles before attending water polo practice.

Kylie Gardhouse, a senior 2-meter whole set, missed half the season with a back injury. She’s working her way into the rotation.

Aley Vilches starts as a sophomore. She shoots well and scraps for steals.

Samantha Sullivan is the only freshman on varsity. The driver is a defensive specialist.

Peter Schiavelli and Dustin Litvak are assistant coaches.

The ultimate goal for these Chargers is a section crown. Securing a title won’t be easy in a division where a half-dozen teams are serious title contenders.

“We need to keep focused and keep positive,” Barton said. “We can’t let ourselves get caught up in ‘We gotta win CIF. We gotta win CIF.’ We can’t get focused on just the end goal.

“If we maintain our cool and calm, it will be a lot easier for us.”