Newport Harbor water polo reclaims No. 1 before playoffs

Newport Harbor boys water polo is back on top in Orange County heading into the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

The Sailors (18-4) reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the Orange County Register's final rankings, published Thursday, Oct. 22, after beating previously top-ranked JSerra 12-7 in the third-place match at the North-South Challenge on Oct. 17. Newport Harbor, the Sunset League champion and two-time defending CIF-SS Open Division champion, could earn the top seed when playoff pairings are announced Friday, Oct. 23 at 2 p.m.

That 12-7 win at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton flipped the county pecking order. JSerra had beaten Newport Harbor 10-9 at the Elite 8 tournament earlier in October, according to the Register's game coverage.

JSerra (17-6) dropped to No. 2 in the final rankings after wrapping up the Trinity League title with a 20-6 win over Servite on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The Register projected JSerra could land the No. 2 seed behind Newport Harbor, with Harvard-Westlake (16-6) potentially third. JSerra and Harvard-Westlake have split two matches this season.

CdM slips to No. 4

Corona del Mar (16-11) fell from No. 3 to No. 4 after losing to Oaks Christian 15-12 on Wednesday, Oct. 21, in its regular-season finale. The Sea Kings finished as Sunset League runner-up behind Newport Harbor.

The Register flagged Oaks Christian (19-5) as a playoff team to watch because its roster features no seniors.

Around Orange County

Laguna Beach (22-6), the Pacific Coast League champion and No. 3 in the county, carries a 12-match winning streak into the postseason. The Register reported the Breakers will likely return to the Open Division.

Santa Margarita (15-12) held steady at No. 5 after finishing second in the Trinity League. Beckman (19-7) climbed to No. 6 on the strength of an undefeated South Coast League title run and a nine-match winning streak.

Huntington Beach (14–12) dropped from No. 6 to No. 9. The Oilers lost to Mater Dei 10–6 on Oct. 17 before beating Los Alamitos 11–7 on Oct. 20 to secure third place in the Sunset League.

Three Sunset League teams in the final top 10 speaks to the depth Newport Harbor navigated to win the league title.