South County All-Stars Score 13-5 Girls Water Polo Victory

Many of the area's elite high school girls water polo athletes joined forces on Sunday afternoon at Ocean View High to participate in the Orange County All-Star Game. Nearly 40 seniors were selected for the event, which pits the northern section of the county against the southern region.

Led by Fountain Valley coach Eric Perales, the south squad won handily, 13-5, to earn Orange County bragging rights. Santa Margarita’s Mackenzie Beck led all scorers with three goals, each of which came in the second quarter. 

After opening up with a 2-0 advantage, the north never found an offensive rhythm. Los Alamitos standout and Stanford commit Cory Dodson scored twice for the north in the loss.

Although each team was inspired to prove themselves in the talent-laden match, the normal intensity of a water polo contest was replaced by light-hearted competition. Dana Hills’ Colleen McNaught, who scored two goals for the south and is headed to Indiana University, enjoyed every minute of the all-star event.

"I don't think I've ever laughed and smiled so much during a game," McNaught said. "Usually, we have our game faces on and it's a lot more serious. It was nice just to have fun and play with a lot of talented girls."

With the anxiety of postseason play still fresh in the minds of each athlete, Sunday’s match provided a nice reprieve from seriousness and capped off the high school careers of nearly 40 skilled players.

"This really is an enjoyable way to end the season for these seniors," Perales said. "There's no pressure on them and they each have the opportunity to compete with tremendous players."

While water polo has yet to make a large mark nationally, the sport has developed into a mainstay in California. Orange County is arguably the cream of the crop at the high school level, and routinely sends kids across the country to compete at the collegiate level.

"We have so many great players in the area," McNaught said. "I'm just stoked that I get to spend time with them and compete with so many great water polo players. The talent level makes each of us so much better."

The south shut down its all-star counterpart in the second half, outscoring the girls from the north, 6-0, en route to the victory. Besides Beck’s trifecta, other southern scorers included: Marisa Young (Fountain Valley), Danielle Styles (Dana Hills), Danielle Lopez (Mission Viejo), Haley Kunert (Edison), Jolene Guiliana (Beckman) and Jessie Holechek (Laguna Beach).

Beck, who is headed to Loyola Marymount this fall, viewed the exhibition match as a happy ending to the girls’ exceptional high school careers.

"Today was definitely a fun way to end high school water polo," Beck said. "It’s great that we were able to come together, have a good time and support each other. Now we get to see how everyone grows and improves at the college level."

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