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Water Polo: Newport falls to Regency in title game

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SANTA ANA — Chris Segesman, the coach of Regency Water Polo Club and the Mater Dei High boys, refused to agree that his team is the one to beat entering the fall season.

As the summer tournaments draw to an end it becomes harder for Segesman to deny that his team remains marked. Mater Dei will be going for its third straight CIF Southern Section Division I title after finishing perfect in 2011.

Regency, which has the Monarchs on its club team, bolted to a four-goal lead in the first quarter and dominated Newport Beach Water Polo Inc., 15-7, to win the California State High School Championships at Foothill High on Sunday.

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“We just came and jumped on them early and Newport didn’t put up much of a fight,” Segesman said.

Newport Water Polo Inc. club, made up of players from Newport Harbor High, trailed, 7-3, after one period. But Regency ended any hope of a comeback with a powerful second quarter, when it outscored Newport, 5-0.

Jon Walters and Ken Inoue led Regency with four goals each. Walters played at Newport Harbor as a freshman in 2009 and then transferred to Mater Dei.

Pavle Filipovic, the Newport coach, said he was pleased with Newport’s run to the title game. He said it was great that Newport reached the final considering the boys had just come back from a three-week down period.

Filipovic said Newport used this tournament to prepare for the Junior Olympics, which begin Saturday in Palo Alto.

He said the ultimate goal is for Newport Harbor to reach the CIF Southern Section Division I final for “a rematch with Mater Dei.”

Regency proved to be too much for Newport on Sunday.

Dan Stevens and Andrew Silvers scored two goals each for Newport, which beat Sacred Heart Prep, 8-5, in the semifinals.

Sacred Heart Prep is coached by Brian Kreutzkamp, a former Newport Harbor head coach. Stevens and Ryan Warde scored two goals each in the victory.

Corona del Mar finished fifth in the tournament after beating Cathedral, 14-13.

steve.virgen@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveVirgen

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