BOYS WATER POLO PLAYOFFS
WEDNESDAY’S CIF-SS SEMIFINALS
DIVISION VII
HEMET (23-7) VS. VALENCIA (17-11)
SITE, TIME: Kennedy High, 5 p.m.
OUTLOOK: The Bulldogs and Tigers are a pair of second-place teams that beat highly seeded teams in the quarterfinals. Hemet, runner-up to Perris in the Sunbelt, sank second-seeded Los Amigos, 11-9, while Empire League runner-up Valencia handled third-seeded Western, 18-6. The Tigers scored 19 goals in the first round. Hemet split two league matches against Perris but beat the Panthers in a tournament. The Bulldogs have a balanced offense that features four players with at least 50 goals.
PERRIS (23-7) VS. KATELLA (20-9)
SITE, TIME: Kennedy High, 6:30 p.m.
OUTLOOK: Both programs are in the semifinals for the first time. The Knights are the division’s top seed. They feature three left-handers who help complement leading scorer Dillon Avila. Katella foreign exchange student Mikael Nielsen (Denmark) lost an appeal to the state CIF for varsity eligibility and will not play. Fourth-seeded Perris, the Sunbelt League champion, is a strong defensive club led by senior goalie Jessie Gunther.
The other preview capsules:
- Boys water polo playoffs: Division I semifinals
- Boys water polo capsules: Division II semifinals
- Boys water polo playoffs: Division III semifinals
- Boys water polo playoffs: Division V semifinals
