Boys’ Water Polo Dream Team: Hack was the man for CdM
As a center in boys’ water polo, opposing players liked to do to Corona del Mar High senior Brendan Hack exactly what his last name would imply.
Hack took an elbow to his face in the offseason last winter, rupturing his left eardrum. The blow at a tournament in Commerce was costly. For nearly three months, he was out of the water.
CdM boys’ water polo Coach Barry O’Dea did not have the benefit of having Hack out for swimming as well. Hack missed the entire season.
He had to work that much harder to be in good shape for his senior year of boys’ water polo in the fall.
Hard work was not a problem for Hack. He was the top scorer and co-captain for one of the top teams in CIF Southern Section Division 1. He helped CdM win the Battle of the Bay match for the second straight year.
And, for his efforts, Hack is the 2015-16 Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team Player of the Year.
Corona del Mar (20-9) designed its offense around Hack, and it made sense why after he scored a team-best 78 goals, helping the Sea Kings extend their Pacific Coast League reign and advance to the quarterfinals of Division 1.
“He was the go-to guy all year long,” O’Dea said. “He drew so much attention, and he still found a way to get open and get shots off. His mobility by the end of the year was phenomenal. It took a long time, but he got himself back.”
Hack took his responsibility as team captain seriously. He also knew that playing as starting center in a program like CdM was a privilege, especially with a talented junior like Tamir Avital also providing standout play at two meters.
“It was nice, but also it came with the responsibility of knowing that I had to live up with it, or else I would get replaced,” Hack said. “It was always in the back of my mind, that I couldn’t get complacent and I had to keep getting better.”
Hack never did get complacent, and he made sure the Sea Kings didn’t either. His steady play helped CdM finish top-four at all three of its in-season tournaments.
Even more impressively, he seemed to elevate himself in the big moments. He scored three goals in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner with three seconds left, as CdM upset Huntington Beach in the quarterfinals of the South Coast Tournament. Eight days later, he scored two of his game-high three goals in the fourth quarter to help CdM win the Battle of the Bay over rival Newport Harbor at the Sailors’ pool.
“When we were kind of in a lull going into the fourth quarter against Harbor, I knew I had to do something to get us rolling,” said Hack, who made it happen by earning an exclusion and scoring the power-play goal, then adding another strike less than two minutes later. “It was really close. That was the first time Barry had won it at their pool, so that was cool to bring that for him.”
The Sea Kings had their ups and downs as a team this season. Although they did finish top four at the South Coast Tournament, S&R Cup and Finis Memorial Cup, they were fourth place each time. And they had their chances to upset Los Angeles Loyola in the Division 1 quarterfinals before falling, 11-9, at USC.
But Hack knows that the results will fade in the coming years. Yet, his friendship with the senior class, which made up five of the Sea Kings’ seven starters and had 14 players overall, will remain.
“It’s not so much about the playing, more so just the good times I’ve had, with going to New Zealand with the whole team [in 2014] and Tahoe that we did this summer,” Hack said. “It’s just the bond you get with everyone, spending so much time with them.”
The Newport-Mesa Boys’ Water Polo Dream Team has more members than in years past, but that’s appropriate given the talent in the area this year. All five Newport-Mesa programs made the CIF playoffs in the same season for the first time. Here’s a look at the other 12 members of the Dream Team:
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Joe Ferraro
Newport Harbor
Ferraro was the Sailors’ only senior starter at the beginning of the season, and he provided leadership in goal. Coach Ross Sinclair called Ferraro the team’s most consistent player and he finished with 238 saves, which was tops in the Sunset League. He helped Newport Harbor finish 16-11 and second in league, as well as advance to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. Ferraro had his two biggest games saves-wise in clutch moments, albeit both one-goal losses, as he recorded 19 saves in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs at Long Beach Wilson and 17 saves in a league showdown against Huntington Beach. Ferraro was a second-team all-league and second-team All-CIF Division 1 selection.
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Ivan Shikhelman
Costa Mesa
A two-year varsity starter in goal, the senior was a backbone on defense for one of the strongest Mesa teams in years. Known as a very hard worker, he finished the season with 314 saves, which was second in Costa Mesa’s all-time single-season annals. Shikhelman, a first-team all-league selection, helped Costa Mesa (20-9) finish second in the Orange Coast League and almost upset Montebello on the road in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs, before falling, 11-10. Shikhelman is a repeat Dream Team selection.
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Rachael Jaffe
Sage Hill
Jaffe was one of two girls who played for the Lightning boys this fall, and the senior goalie stepped into a starting role. She improved quite a bit, Coach Tom Norton said, and finished with 163 saves. Norton said the play of Jaffe earned plenty of compliments from opposing coaches. She was a first-team All-Academy League selection and helped the Lightning (13-12) finish second in league. They beat Xavier Prep in the wild-card round of the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs before falling at No. 3-seeded Ayala in the first round. Jaffe also is a standout soccer player but after her polo success, that’s the sport she now wants to play in college.
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Jason Chesemore
Estancia
Chesemore, a junior co-captain, helped lead a big season for the Eagles. A first-team All-Orange Coast League selection, he was the team’s leading scorer with 86 goals and helped Estancia finish third in league, returning to the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs after a four-year postseason drought. Estancia Coach John Carpenter said Chesemore was valuable all-around for the Eagles, able to play center, counterattack and also play shutdown defense. He also has challenged himself to improve in the offseason and plays club polo for Costa Mesa Aquatics Club.
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Ben Brooks
Corona del Mar
Brooks willingly moved from center to two-meter defender in an effort to help the team. The 6-foot-6 senior thrived in his new role, working hard to make himself a more well-rounded player. He also scored some big goals for CdM, including one from the outside at the third-quarter buzzer of the Division 1 quarterfinal loss to Loyola to bring CdM within a goal. Overall, Brooks totaled 23 goals along with 16 steals. He was a first-team All-Pacific Coast League and second-team All-CIF Division 1 selection.
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Cole Brosnan
Newport Harbor
The junior lefty took on a big role this season as a co-captain, and handled it well. Brosnan was also a dangerous outside shooter for the Sailors and lethal on the counterattack. He led Newport Harbor with 66 goals and 33 assists, also adding 28 steals, and should return next year as an even bigger leader for a more experienced team. Brosnan was a first-team all-league and third-team All-CIF Division 1 selection.
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Jacob Petersen
Costa Mesa
A junior center, Petersen stepped up after one of the Mustangs’ two players from Puerto Rico, Angel Rosado, didn’t return for his senior year. Coach Cody Serrano said that Petersen dominated from the first game on at center, and drew over 70 ejections on the season. Petersen, a first-team all-league selection, finished second on Costa Mesa in both goals (76) and steals (57) and appears primed for a big senior season next year.
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Jon Polos
Corona del Mar
The speedy senior driver was athletic, and a big weapon for the Sea Kings’ counterattack. O’Dea said he appreciated the versatility of Polos, who was moved to the “4-5” side of the pool at the end of the season and continued to excel. Polos finished third on CdM with 45 goals and tied for second with 27 steals, also adding 16 assists. He was a first-team All-Pacific Coast League selection.
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Connor Turnbow-Lindenstadt
Newport Harbor
Turnbow-Lindenstadt had to sit out the first 30 days of the season due to CIF Southern Section rules, after transferring from CdM. He immediately made a difference when he became eligible, though. A gifted shooter and offensive player, the junior still finished second on Newport Harbor with 40 goals in just 13 games. He added 20 assists and 22 steals. Turnbow-Lindenstadt was a first-team All-Sunset League selection.
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Will Rodosky
Corona del Mar
Rodosky made the jump from the frosh-soph team as a sophomore to a key varsity contributor as a junior. He excelled as a sort of point guard for the Sea Kings, and O’Dea said he got better with decision-making and shooting as the year progressed, to the point where he expects Rodosky to be one of the top players in Division 1 next season. He led the Pacific Coast League and finished second in Orange County with 74 assists, and also had 44 goals and 24 steals. Rodosky, the third CdM brother to come through the program after Charlie and Jack, was a first-team all-league and third-team All-CIF Division 1 selection.
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Ben Morrison
Newport Harbor
As a senior defender, Morrison didn’t always get a lot of the credit, but there was a reason why Sinclair called him the glue to the team. He was routinely responsible for shutting down the opposition’s best player, a challenge he took on wholeheartedly. Morrison led Newport Harbor with 30 steals and also tallied 17 goals and nine assists. He was a first-team All-Sunset League selection.
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Matt Moran
Corona del Mar
Moran, a junior goalie, transferred from University to CdM just before the season began. He joined senior Tristin Ospina as good goalies in the program, but when Ospina had a leg injury at the beginning of September, Moran took the starting spot. He didn’t let it go, recording 224 saves and 24 assists. Moran was able to effectively lead the CdM counterattack and also was solid on five-meter penalty shots, blocking several of them over the course of the season. O’Dea said Moran got his fingertips on a Newport Harbor penalty shot with 10 seconds left in the Battle of the Bay, deflecting it off the post as CdM earned a 7-6 win. Moran was a first-team all-league selection.
