Westlake can claim postseason berth by beating Calabasas
Water polo team in third place in Marmonte League
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers TEAM DEFENSE- Agoura High's PJ Iannone, left, tries to get a pass off during Monday's match against Westlake, but Warrior senior Brent McCunney gets a piece of the ball. WHS lost, 14-3.

After losing to Agoura High 14-3 on Tuesday, the Westlake High boys' water polo team felt down but certainly not out.

Although the Warriors were no match for first-place Agoura, who clinched a league title with the win, Westlake is still very much alive for a postseason bid.

With a 14-9 record, 6-5 in league play, the Warriors remained alone in third place behind Agoura and Royal High. With a win at home over Calabasas today, the Warriors can clinch a playoff berth.

"We can't look past Calabasas into the playoffs right now," Westlake head coach Todd Irmas said following the loss to Agoura. "They have a quick team, and we have to make sure we bring our best game against them.

"The last thing we want is a three-way tie for fourth place, which could happen if we lose. Our team has been in that situation before, and it's something we definitely do not want again."

Irmas said that in order to beat Calabasas and advance in the postseason, the team would have to get more production from offensive weapons like senior Brent McCunney and senior Anson Harvey.

"McCunney and Harvey were our two top scorers this year, and we need to have more movement from them on offense," Irmas said. "Agoura plays great defense, and we can't have a lot of sitting around if we want to score."

Irmas said that even though the game against Agoura was no contest, he was still impressed with Westlake's new style of defense.

"We went into a drop-in style of defense today, and I thought the team did a pretty good job with it," Irmas said. "I expect us to play it again against Calabasas."

Irmas said that the team's top defender is senior Matt Meyer, who's done a good job of playing ball-side defense. Irmas also singled out McCunney and Harvey for their play on the defensive side of the ball.

In the cage, the Warriors have gone to a platoon system of late, with senior Will Crooks and junior Andrew Turner splitting time.

"They're both good goalkeepers, but we've been going with Andrew a little more lately," Irmas said. "I expect him to probably start against Calabasas, but he could very well be splitting time with Will during the game."

Westlake's game today against Calabasas is set for a 3:15 p.m. start.