"Finally." That was the comment of El Toro water polo coach Don Stoll (pictured left) after the Chargers downed Santa Barbara, 6-4, to claim the Masters title on Saturday night at Newport Harbor.

El Toro was a two-time Masters runner-up but captured the tournament in impressive fashion.

While teams' motivations vary greatly for this tournament, one squad still needs to play some very good water polo to capture the tournament. The Chargers did just that the past two days. They hammered CdM. They led Mater Dei by four before holding on for a 7-6 victory. And they held Santa Barbara to four goals in the championship match.

El Toro finishes the season an impressive 33-3. But as awesome as that record is, the Chargers lost their two biggest games of the season to Foothill.

Foothill moved to No. 1 in the county after sinking El Toro in the Division I final. I'm not surprised the Knights didn't win Masters but their four-goal deficit to Santa Barbara did surprise me a little. My take is that Foothill was emotionally spent after its league and CIF titles. I certainly understand that and no Division I champion has won Masters. But four goals? That's a bit confusing for me because Foothill seems better than that even on an off day.

But credit does need to go to Santa Barbara. The Dons also took down Los Al at Masters.

I posed the question of the county rankings to Santa Barbara coach Mark Walsh. He didn't give me his No. 1 pick for OC but he did offer this. He said his squad would lose more often to El Toro in 10 matches than to Foothill.

"I think El Toro is the most talented team (in Orange County)," Walsh said. "Foothill, they play really well as a team."

Well, the rest now falls on me. I'll post a final county ranking on Monday. LosAl was the preseason No. 1. El Toro then held the top spot most of the season. And Foothill surfaced late. Yes, it was quite a ride.

Final update

Griffin White scored four to pace El Toro's offense while Tommy O'Connell made 11 saves, including one on a 5-meter penalty.

Update 2

El Toro has a 6-3 lead with 2:53 left in the fourth period. The Chargers finished second in the first two Masters but appear headed toward a title tonight.

Update 1

The Chargers lead Santa Barbara, 4-2, at halftime in the finals of the Masters tournament here at Newport Harbor. El Toro led 3-0 after the first period.

The semifinals scores:

Santa Barbara 9, Foothill 5

El Toro 7, Mater Dei 6

BOYS WATER POLO

DIVISION I

EL TORO (29-2) VS. FOOTHILL (23-7)

Site, time: William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center (adjacent to Irvine HS), 8 p.m.

Outlook: For as intense as this rivalry has been at times, the teams have rarely met in the playoffs. Foothill leads the teams’ postseason series, 2-0. The Knights won a Division I quarterfinal in 2004 and a Division I semifinal in 1995 en route their only section title. The teams have split two matches this season but Foothill captured the most important one. Foothill won the match for Sea View League title, 11-10, in overtime. An apparent goal by El Toro at the end of overtime was waved off because time expired. Goalie Jay Lovero led Foothill in the thrilling match with a career-high 23 saves, including a tone-setting block against El Toro standout Griffin White (119 goals) on a early breakaway. El Toro won the teams’ first meeting, 6-5, at the South Coast Tournament. White and Foothill’s Paul Reynolds each have scored a combined six goals in the teams’ two matches. The Chargers are coming off an 11-4 victory against Los Alamitos, the most lopsided Division I semifinal match since ’98. El Toro is 4-1 in Division I finals under Coach Don Stoll. Foothill is 1-4 in Division I finals under Coach Jim Brumm. Three of Foothill’s losses came against Long Beach Wilson.

DIVISION I SEMIFINALS

LOS ALAMITOS (25-5) VS. EL TORO (28-2)

SITE, TIME: William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center, 5 p.m.

OUTLOOK: The Chargers and Griffins are ranked first-second in Orange County, though El Toro leads the season series, 2-0. El Toro won the first match, 7-5, and the second in overtime, 9-8, even though not full strength. The Chargers also won both games despite getting only one goal from leading-scorer and U.S. junior star Griffin White (112 goals). Los Alamitos’ Austin Trinkle has scored a combined six goals in the two matches.

PREDICTION: The Chargers don't always seem to agree in the water but they have too much talent and coaching not to win this match.

Griffin White paced El Toro with four goals and some nifty steals.

Give the Aztecs some credit for some solid defense that kept El Toro somewhat under control.