By Steve Breazeale
Dolphins Water Polo Ousted by Foothill in Playoffs
In a rematch of last year’s CIF-SS Division 2 Championship match, the Dana Hills and Foothill boys water polo teams squared off in the postseason again on Nov. 9, although this time in a slightly different arena.
Both the Dolphins and the Knights made the jump up to Division 1 this offseason due to the CIF-SS’s competitive equity initiative. The two met in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs, and Foothill came away with a 10-6 victory.
The Knights got a five-goal performance from Joe Molina, and goalie Arash Izadmanesh made eight saves in the win.
Dana Hills was led by Jack McLaughlin, who scored three goals and had three steals.
It was the second straight year in which the Knights ousted the Dolphins from the playoffs.
Dana Hills finished the season with a 16-13 overall record and placed second in the South Coast League.
Cross Country Teams Place Second at CIF-SS Finals
In yet another battle with their rival Great Oak, the Dana Hills boys cross country team placed second at the CIF-SS Division 1 Finals race in Riverside on Nov. 19.
The Dolphins, who bested Great Oak in last year’s installment of the race, were led by junior Jack Landgraf. Landgraf was Orange County’s fastest runner at the meet, finishing in a time of 14:50. Landgraf placed fourth overall in Division 1.
Dana Hills got plenty of points from seniors Brandon Hough and Thomas Wilfert, who placed 14th and 15th, respectively. Sophomore Eddie Wagenseller (15:20.2), Simon Fuller (15:21.4), John Turner (15:45.7) and Hayden Stein (15:45.8) closed out the scoring for the Dolphins.
The Dana Hills girls cross country team also battled with its Great Oak counterpart in the Division 1 finals.
The Dolphins were able to pack together four runners inside the top-40 of their race, but it was not enough to defeat Great Oak, who came away with a 30-125 victory. Great Oak dominated the Division 1 race, piling in five runners inside the top-10 and scoring all seven of their runners inside the top-16.
The Dolphins were led by sophomores Leila Keyvan (17:47.4) and Sarah Meng (17:48.3), who placed 23rd and 24th respectively. Senior Kathryn Kaloroumakis (17:58.5) placed 30th, sophomore Lauren Soto (18:05.6) placed 35th, and senior Alyssa White (18:11.3) placed 39th. Sophomore Leyla Boyar (18:38.4) rounded out the Dolphins top-6.
Both the Dana Hills boys and girls cross country teams will advance to the CIF State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno on Nov. 26.
Soewondo Competes in CIF State SoCal Regional
Dana Hills senior Joan Soewondo competed at the CIF-WSCGA SoCal Regional tournament on Nov. 10, and shot a 77 (+5). Soewondo did not make the cut to advance to the CIF State Championship.
It was the third straight season in which Soewondo qualified for the penultimate tournament of the high school golf season at Arrowhead Country Club in San Bernardino. Only nine golfers from the SoCal regional advance to the state tournament every year.
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