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The Orange County boys water polo rankings as of Wednesday, Sept. 16:
BOYS WATER POLO TOP 10
School, record, previous rank
1. JSerra 4-0 (1): Sophomore attacker Aleksandar Bjelica leads the Lions with 10 goals entering the South Coast Tournament. Second-seeded JSerra opens against the Beckman-Loyola winner on Thursday night at Beckman High. Cathedral Catholic is seeded first in the 30-team event.
2. Newport Harbor 4-1 (2): Goalie Lian Kim is the lone senior on the Sailors’ roster for the South Coast Tournament. The two-time defending tournament champion opens against St. Mark’s of Texas on Thursday.
3. Santa Margarita 6-1 (3): The Eagles edged Helix 12-11 to defend their title at the Villa Park Classic on Saturday. Santa Margarita begins the South Coast Tournament against Alta Loma on Thursday.
4. Laguna Beach 9-3 (5): Warren Rootlieb scored four goals in a 17-16 loss in overtime to Dos Pueblos in the finals of the Santa Barbara Invitational. The junior center had seven goals in a 17-16 win against Corona del Mar in the semifinals. It was Laguna Beach’s first triumph against the Sea Kings since October 2021. Laguna Beach opens the South Coast Tournament against San Ramon Valley on Thursday.
5. Corona del Mar 7-2 (4): The Sea Kings placed third in the Santa Barbara Invitational with a 16-10 victory against Beckman. William Weir netted seven goals in the semifinals against Laguna Beach. Corona del Mar starts the South Coast Tournament against Santana on Thursday.
6. Beckman 3-4 (6): The Patriots defeated Carlsbad and Mira Costa Mesa before falling to Dos Pueblos 11-10 in the semifinals of the Santa Barbara Invitational. Beckman opens the South Coast Tournament by playing host to Loyola on Thursday.
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7. Mater Dei 5-6 (7): The Monarchs opened the Santa Barbara tournament by defeating Huntington Beach 11-9. Mater Dei lost its next three matches. The Monarchs open the South Coast Tournament against Campolindo on Thursday.
8. Foothill 5-1 (8): The Knights play host to The Bishop’s in their South Coast Tournament opener Thursday.
9. San Clemente 3-5 (9): The Tritons went 2-3 in the Santa Barbara tournament and finished 15th. They open the South Coast Tournament against Miramonte on Thursday.
10. Los Alamitos 4-5 (not ranked): The Griffins lost to Santana 17-12 in the third-place match at the Villa Park Classic. They open the South Coast Tournament against Oaks Christian on Thursday.
Also considered (listed alphabetically): Edison (6-6); Huntington Beach (3-6); Orange Lutheran (8-0); Sage Hill (3-0).
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