Water polo notes: Santa Margarita faces challenging start

Santa Margarita’s No. 10 boys water polo team opens its season this week with two challenging home matches.

The Division 1 Eagles play host to an improved Tesoro on Tuesday and then Division 2 contender Murrieta Valley on Wednesday. Both matches are scheduled for 4 p.m.

Murrieta Valley is ranked fifth in the Division 2 preseason poll while Tesoro is fifth in Division 3.

Santa Margarita won’t have JSerra transfers and triplets Chandler, Garrett and Troy Kaltenbach in September because of transfer restrictions, Eagles coach Paden Mitchell said. But Santa Margarita has several key returners, led by seniors Stephen Riggins and Riley Smith.

The Eagles will have two strong goalies to watch. Ryan Melosini returns after a 300-save season as a freshman and Garrett Kaltenbach, a junior, also plays goalie.

Tesoro returns six starters from a team that won a school-record 19 matches last season. The Titans’ defense is led by goalie Roger Lorge and defender Andrew Mericle.

Murrieta Valley feature U.S. cadet team center Tristan Reinhardt, a junior.

BECK EARNS EAGLE SCOUT

Capistrano Valley senior water polo player and All-County swimmer Jon Beck has earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

For his Eagle service project, Beck, 17, organized a program to increase awareness of proper battery disposal and household hazardous waste recycling for the city of Mission Viejo.

DANA HILLS TO START SHORT-HANDED

Dana Hills will be without sharp-shooting attacker and JSerra transfer Marko Asic in its season-opener at Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood on Friday because of a brutality in the playoffs last season against Harvard-Westlake, Dolphins coach Matt Rosa said.

ORANGE LUTHERAN COLLECTS HISTORIC WIN

Orange Lutheran's first-year program notched its first victory last week when its JV team defeated host West Covina, 7-3, at Edgewood Middle School.