Chargers eyeing a date with destiny

AHS boys' water polo team one win away from its first CIF championship appearance in school history


LAST LINE OF DEFENSE-Agoura goalkeeper Ryan Paris, center, extends his arms to try and block a shot attempt from Palos Verdes' Neil Bykerk, No. 15, Tuesday afternoon at Thousand Oaks High.

LAST LINE OF DEFENSE-Agoura goalkeeper Ryan Paris, center, extends his arms to try and block a shot attempt from Palos Verdes’ Neil Bykerk, No. 15, Tuesday afternoon at Thousand Oaks High.


For the first time since the Clinton administration, the Agoura High boys’ water polo team has reached the CIFSouthern Section semifinals.

Agoura (27-4), the top seed in the Division IV playoffs and coMarmonte League champion, defeated Palos Verdes 12-5 Tuesday afternoon at Thousand Oaks High.

Junior Joey Sparks didn’t start for the Chargers, but he finished with a game-high four goals.

“We got huge minutes from Joey Sparks off the bench,” AHS head coach Dustin Litvak said. “He really stepped up today. This is something that he’s always played for.”

Sparks said he feels confident playing at the Thousand Oaks pool.

“I feel pretty good,” he said. “I’ve been playing pretty decent. I feel like I stepped up today.”

Charger senior Justin Kovanis was sidelined for most of the regular season with a finger injury. Against Palos Verdes, Kovanis scored three goals, including a pair in the fourth quarter, and helped guide a stout Agoura defense.

“We’re starting to gel now,” Sparks said. “Our best two-meter guard (Kovanis) is back. He gets up big and we find him. He’s a big goal-scorer for us.”

Agoura’s Alex Thompson and Peter Kurzeka each scored two goals. Jake Smither added a score and goalkeeper Ryan Paris logged 11 saves for the Chargers.

“We played well when we needed to, in spurts,” Litvak said. “We came out a little bit jittery, but that was expected.

“Once we relaxed and started playing to our strengths, though, I thought we played well.”

Thompson started the scoring for Agoura by converting a shot one minute and 53 seconds into the match. Following a pair of scores by Palos Verdes’ Neil Bykerk, Sparks tied the game at two with 41 seconds remaining in the initial quarter.

With four seconds left in the first quarter, Kovanis rattled home his first goal to give AHS a 3-2 lead. Agoura wouldn’t trail again for the remainder of the afternoon.

In the second quarter, Thompson had a goal, Sparks scored twice and AHS led 6-2 at halftime.

Palos Verdes (18-12) chiseled Agoura’s lead down to 75 midway through the third quarter. Kurzeka, however, quickly answered back with a score to push the Charger lead to 8-5 heading into the final seven minutes.

The fourth quarter was all Agoura. The Chargers scored four times and Paris continued to thwart away Palos Verdes’ offensive opportunities.

Paris and the Agoura defense didn’t allow a goal during the final nine minutes and 45 seconds of play.

Paris “is a great asset to have,” Litvak said. “When we make a mistake, he’s usually there to cover for us. This was just another example of another game where he bailed us out of a few situations.”

In Friday’s semifinal, Agoura faces Righetti, champions of the Pac-7 League. The game will take place at Oaks Christian beginning at 3:15 p.m.

Righetti defeated Oaks Christian 15-10 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. During the first round, Righetti squeaked past Thousand Oaks 12-11 in overtime.

The winner of the AgouraRighetti matchup will play either Royal or Mira Costa in the finals on Monday at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

Agoura has never advanced to a CIF final in boys’ water polo.

“We have a chance to make history,” Litvak said. “We’re going to do everything we can.”

SCORING SPARK-Agoura’s Joey Sparks had a game-high four goals during the Chargers’ 12-5 quarterfinal victory over Palos Verdes.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers

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