Cupido named Sunset League MVP

Newport Harbor High senior Luca Cupido has been named the Sunset League Most Valuable Player for the recently completed boys’ water polo season.

Cupido is joined by Sailors senior Mitchell Mendoza, senior goalie Massimo Navarretta and junior Clay Davison as first-team selections. Newport Harbor Coach Robert Lynn shared Coach of the Year honors with Brian Anderson of Huntington Beach.

Final season statistics were not made available but Cupido, a transfer from Italy, was the Sailors’ leading scorer. The dynamic player, a Cal commit, helped the Sailors (23-5, 5-0 in league) capture the league crown, the program’s fourth straight. Newport Harbor advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals, where the Sailors lost a tight 9-6 game against eventual champion Harvard-Westlake.

Cupido and Mendoza, a lefty who is headed to Stanford, also were both first-team All-CIF Division 1 selections.

Newport Harbor senior center K.J. Kelley, junior Jack Mooers and sophomore Ben Morrison earned second-team all-league recognition.

— From staff reports

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