HIGH SCHOOLS:

For most of the boys’ water polo season, almost everything went right for Costa Mesa High.

The Mustangs beat rival Sage Hill School for the first time in the Orange Coast League.

They were undefeated in league play and in contention for the league championship.

Then leading up to Costa Mesa’s showdown at defending league champion Laguna Beach Wednesday, the Mustangs were without two starters.

Coach Justin Taylor said junior goalie Jackson O’Connor hurt his ankle over the weekend.

Taylor said senior utility player Garrett Frazier, the team’s third-leading scorer, came down with flu-like symptoms the night before.

“It is bad timing these guys went out at the time they did,” Taylor said.

Costa Mesa missed O’Connor and Frazier as Laguna Beach won, 20-8, and defended its league crown by closing out league play undefeated.

The Breakers (14-10, 4-0 in league), ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Division III poll, have claimed the Orange Coast League title every year since the league’s inception in 2006.

Costa Mesa (16-7, 3-1) finished second, the first time it has accomplished the feat in the league. The Mustangs last won a league title in 2004.

The Mustangs are also headed to the playoffs for the first time under Taylor, a second-year coach.

“I’m proud of them,” said Taylor of the Mustangs, who finished third in league the previous two seasons to Sage Hill, which placed third this season with a 2-2 record.

“It would’ve been a different game [against Laguna Beach] if we had our team at full strength. We still have a lot to play for before the [regular] season ends.”

Costa Mesa plays a nonleague match today at Tustin at 3 p.m.

On Friday, the Mustangs resume play at the Hank Vallenkamp Tournament in which they’re 1-1.

Costa Mesa closes out the regular season at home in a nonleague match against Pacifica on Nov. 5.

The playoff pairings will be released four days later at the CIF Southern Section headquarters in Los Alamitos.

The top three teams in the Orange Coast League will receive automatic postseason berths in Division III this season due to Godinez making it a five-team league.

“We’re hoping to get O’Connor and Frazier back by the time the playoffs begin,” Taylor said. “We weren’t able to sub with both of them out and we had to use someone who hasn’t played goalie all year.

“If we can get past the first round of the playoffs, there’s a good possibility we might meet see [Laguna Beach] again.”

 If you want to check out some vital matches around town, here are two:

Newport Harbor can wrap up an outright Sunset League girls’ tennis championship when the Sailors (15-3, 8-0 in league) play host to Esperanza (7-1 in league) today at 3 p.m.

In girls’ volleyball, Corona del Mar plays host to Newport Harbor in the Battle of the Bay on Nov. 7 at 6 p.m.