Tustin knocks off defending Div. 6 champ in OT

Goalie Luis Martinez made 23 saves and Matt John scored two of his six goals in overtime as Tustin's boys water polo team upset reigning CIF-SS Division 6 champion and second-seeded Rio Mesa of Oxnard, 13-10, in the quarterfinals Saturday at Foothill.

John scored with 42 seconds left in fourth period to lock the score, 9-9, and force overtime. The junior then scored twice in overtime as the Tillers (24-5) outlasted Rio Mesa (18-9-1).

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

OCVarsity Hot Shots: Wild day in water polo

_ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Elias Altamirano and John's brother, Gabriel, also scored in overtime.

“It was a big win for our kids,” veteran Tustin coach Boyd Philpot said. “We grew up. ... We had to be really smart and disciplined."

Martinez has 47 saves in two playoff matches. "He just dominated,” Philpot said of the 6-foot-3 senior.

Tustin will make its first semifinal appearance since 1994 on Wednesday when it takes on Temescal Canyon of Lake Elsinore, an 8-7 winner against Malibu, at a site to be announced.

Beaumont and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village play in the other semifinal. Oaks Christian won at Valencia, 9-7, on Saturday.

Last season, Rio Mesa defeated Malibu, 9-4, in the Division 6 final.

In another Division 6 quarterfinal:

Beaumont 12, Yorba Linda 8: The host Mustangs took a 7-6 lead into the fourth period against the division's No. 1 seed but couldn't hold on. Taylor Van Ginkel scored 104 goals for Yorba Linda to finish with 130.

In a Division 7 quarterfinal:

Don Lugo of Chino 14, Ocean View 12: Vince Vizcaino scored off a cross pass with 20 seconds left to snap a 12-12 tie and lift the visiting Conquistadores past the fourth-seeded Seahawks (20-11). The goal came as Ocean View tried to fight off consecutive man-advantage chances by Don Lugo.

Don Lugo scored another goal just before the buzzer and avenged a 14-7 loss against Ocean View in the regular season.

“We were pumped up but we weren’t ready for it,” said Ocean View's Steven Kornahrens, who scored eight goals to raise his season total to 166. “We couldn’t put it together.”

The Seahawks led, 3-0, early, but the score was close the rest of the way. 

Ocean View took an 11-9 lead with 5:51 left in fourth as Kornahrens tipped in a cross pass by Glenn Baumann. Ocean View’s Max Minichiello scored with 1:28 left to tie the score, 12-12, but Don Lugo finished with a flurry.

The Seahawks had a chance to tie the score in the final seconds but turned the ball over with 12 seconds left.

In a Division 4 quarterfinal:

Troy 13, Cerritos 10: Zakk Parker scored four goals and Sam Feaster made 11 saves at Cerritos Park East to lead the fourth-seeded Warriors (24-7). Troy plays top-seeded and defending champion Agoura, an 18-7 winner against Redlands East Valley, in the semifinals Wednesday at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine at 3:30 p.m.

"It's going to be a battle," Troy coach Justin Link said of playing Agoura. "It's a tough division."

Agoura defeated Troy, 13-6, in the quarterfinals last season.

Royal and Righetti play in the first semifinal at Woollett on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

In the Division 3 quarterfinal:

Laguna Beach 19, Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach 7: Riley Thomas scored six goals, Camron Hauer had five and Nolan McConnell four to lead the visiting and top-seeded Breakers (23-6). The reigning Division 3 champions will play La Canada, a 9-7 winner against Aliso Niguel, in the semifinals Wednesday at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine at 3:30 p.m.

In the Division 2 quarterfinals:

Northwood 11, Montebello 7: Gavin Konstanzer made 15 saves and Jason Lee and Billy Monjay each scored three goals as the host Timberwolves (18-11) beat the fourth-seeded Oilers. Northwood plays top-seeded and defending champion Corona del Mar, an 18-9 winner against Riverside Poly, in the semifinals Wednesday at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center at 6:30 p.m.

Long Beach Wilson 14, University 13: Maxwell Irving scored a counterattack goal with 1:39 left to snap a 13-13 tie and lift the third-seeded Bruins at Woodbridge.

The game featured nine ties, including a deadlock at 13-13 after a perimeter strike by University's Ryan Hudash with 2:33 left in the fourth.

"We played a good game," said University junior goalie Alex Bennett, who made 15 saves. "There's not one definitely better team than us in the whole division."

University had Long Beach Wilson on the ropes in the third as sophomore left-hander Jonny Kaiser scored four goals from the perimeter in the frame. And after freshman Griffin Chappell added another perimeter strike to give the Trojans an 11-9 lead late in the third, the Bruins called timeout.

Long Beach Wilson responded with a 4-0 run that extended into the first minute of the fourth. The Bruins also tightened their press.

"We followed our game plan a little better in the second half," Long Beach Wilson coach Tony Martinho said.

Chappell and Kaiser each scored four goals for the Trojans.

Irving, Jackson Kimbell and Willis Allen each scored four goals for the Bruins (19-10).

Long Beach Wilson plays Villa Park in the other semifinal at 5 p.m.

Villa Park 14, ML King 9: The visiting Spartans fell behind, 4-0, in the first period but rallied for the victory. The Spartans (23-7) inserted Dylan Burns in the goal early in the first period and the junior responded with nine saves. BJ Churnside paced Villa Park with four goals while Eric Bungcag added three.