Villa Park's boys water polo season had been solid but not spectacular going into the North-South Challenge in Northern California in late October.

But the Spartans caught a wave of momentum in Atherton and rode it to their first CIF-SS championship since 1981.

The man who directed the strong finish was John Carcich, The Register's 2007 coach of the year.

The seventh-year coach guided the Spartans (28-8) to the title of the North-South Challenge on Oct. 20 and about a month later, Villa Park defeated Mater Dei for the Division II title in Irvine.

“It was a great finish,” said Carcich, a Villa Park alumnus.

The Spartans captured both titles with their defense and ability to be well-rounded on offense.

Villa Park goalie Matt Rapacz emerged as a defensive stopper at the North-South Challenge but received plenty of help from his field defenders. Villa Park allowed only 4.5 goals per match in the tournament.

In the 6-4 victory against Mater Dei, Carcich used a key adjustment to the Spartans' man-down defense to find success.

Villa Park's versatility on offense was another key factor in the Division II match. As the Monarchs' defense focused on 100-goal scorers Rex Learmouth and Josh Samuels, Carcich and the Spartans went to their third scoring option, junior Scott Brush, who scored four goals.

“I think they gelled really well at the end of the season, which is huge,” Carcich said. “They really started playing like a team.”

Carcich was voted co-coach of the year in Division II along with Mater Dei's Chris Segesman.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com