Strong team closes regular season
By Hector Trujillo
The Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) mens varsity water polo team looks to enter the CIF-SDS Division II playoffs in strong fashion as it closes out regular season play against Mira Mesa High on Oct. 30. This will be a rematch between the two sides which last faced each other on Oct. 9, resulting in a 13-3 victory for the Falcons. SRHS won the only meeting between the two teams in 2024 by a score of 9-6.
“It’s been a good season,” said head coach Brad Oestreich. “I think it’s a full team effort this year.”
The 2025 team is made up of talented players with lots of experience which includes 14 seniors.
Scripps Ranch kicked off the season in dominant fashion with a 15-5 victory over High Tech San Diego High before dropping the next two games versus Francis Parker High and Rancho Buena Vista High, both on the road.
The Falcons bounced back by going on a three-game winning streak which started with a 13-6 blowout of Mission Hills High followed by a 21-4 drubbing of Canyon Hills High and an 11-3 shellacking of Valley Center High that came in tournament play. Despite losing the second match of the tournament played in East County to El Capitan High 7-5, the Falcons recovered thanks to back to back wins over Mar Vista High and Mater Dei High.
Among the standout players during that two-day competition was goalie Elliott LaPlante who helped lead the Falcons to three victories over the four games while giving up only 15 goals total during that span.
Senior co-captains Evan Long and Alp Utsukarci have also been huge contributors to the Falcons developing the necessary chemistry to help make another run in the post-season.
“We have had some great games overall,” Oestreich said. “Everyone is contributing, and we’ve got multiple guys with double-digit goals on the team this year. I think there’s been a lot of investment by these guys in what we need to do.”
Scripps Ranch High continued its good form in a 12-7 win over Santa Fe Christian High on Oct. 2, which also gave the Falcons its seventh victory, guaranteeing it a fourth-consecutive regular season without a losing record. The team also defeated Mira Mesa High 13-3 on Oct. 9, and beat Santa Fe Christian High for the second time this season, 7-2, on Oct. 10. The SRHS team stood at 9-3 overall at press time.
The Falcons finished 2024 with a 12-9 record overall with playoff victories over Valley Center High and Rancho Buena Vista High before being eliminated by San Pasqual High.