Both Santa Barbara and Dos Pueblos had big days on Saturday at the South Coast Tournament in Newport Beach, going a combined 4-0 against solid opposition.
The Chargers picked up a fifth-place finish, their best ever, after downing Villa Park 12-6 and Corona del Mar 13-5. DP, ranked fourth in Division I, was up 10-2 at one point against Villa Park, the No. 6 team in Division II. Kevin Cappon and Chase Racich each scored three goals in the game, and Derek Shoemaker had an interesting time playing goaie after Brady Moore went out with a split lip.
Coach Chris Parrish said that Shoemaker had never really played in the cage before, but he had four saves nonetheless (he also gave up four).
Moore came back against Division I fifth-ranked Corona del Mar, and Shoemaker flourished after getting back out into open water. He scored four goals while racking up three assists and two steals. The Chargers had a 7-2 lead at the half and cruised from there. Moore tallied 15 blocks upon his return.
Loyola, a team which DP went to three overtimes with in a loss last week, was the eventual tournament winner.
“This kind of shows us that the top four teams in CIF can really stand up to each other well and are grouped well,” he said.
Santa Barbara, meanwhile, downed Division II fourth-ranked Long Beach Wilson 8-5 behind four goals, three assists and three steals from Brendan Kerwin-McElroy. The Dons went on to post a dramatic comeback against Los Alamitos, the No. 8 team in Division II, in their final game. Santa Barbara was down 5-2 at one point in the first half but outscored the Griffins 7-2 after the break. Kenny Myers scored four goals in the second half and played the best game of his career, according to coach Mark Walsh. The Dons finished ninth in the tournament.
Both coaches said that the solid performances over the weekend will provide a big lift heading into Channel League play and the postseason.
