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Dan Albano. Sports HS Reporter.

// MORE INFORMATION: Staff Mug Shot taken August 26, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER.

SATURDAY’S CIF-SS BOYS WATER POLO FINALS

All games at William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center, Irvine

Division 1

Mater Dei (26-4) vs. Harvard-Westlake of Studio City (28-0), 5:30 p.m.

   Outlook: The No. 2 seeded Monarchs and No. 1 Wolverines clash in the finals for the second consecutive November. Last season, Mater Dei went 3-0 during the regular season against Harvard-Westlake before falling in the Division 1 final, 9-6, to have its streak of five consecutive CIF titles snapped. This season, the Wolverines are 3-0 against the Monarchs entering the final, though the average margin of victory is only 2.7 goals.

   Mater Dei received a boost in the semifinals with the return of attacker Nick Lavayen from a thumb injury but the Monarchs still face a difficult task. Harvard-Westlake features an imposing center duo of 6-foot-6 Ben Hallock and 6-foot-2 Raphael Raede and speedy attacker Johnny Hooper. But the Monarchs’ main struggle with the Wolverines has been on offense. Despite a strong counterattack, Mater Dei has averaged seven goals in the three games against Harvard-Westlake when it averaged 16.3 goals the rest of the season.

   Mater Dei’s leading scorer against the Wolverines has been freshman Jack Seybold with six goals (sophomore Evan Rosenfeld has six to lead the Wolverines). Harvard-Westlake goalie Anthony Ridgley averaged 11 saves in three games against Mater Dei for a slight advantage against Monarchs’ Jonathan Van De Velde (8.7), a U.S. youth team keeper.