Dons at home, Royals hit road for water polo playoff openers

Santa Barbara High was seeded fourth for the CIF Division 2 boys water polo playoffs, which were announced Saturday.

The Dons (24-5), co-champions of the Channel League, will open at home Thursday against Riverside’s ML King, (14-11), the No. 2 team from the Big VIII League. This will be Santa Barbara’s first playoff appearance since being CIF runners-up in 2012. Coach Mark Walsh said the players on the squad will be making their playoff debuts.

CIF WATER POLO PAIRINGS

San Marcos (22-7), which beat Santa Barbara in the last game of the regular season to earn a share of its second straight league title, drew a first-round road game at Big VIII League-champion Corona-Santiago (20- 7).

Foothill is the division’s top seed, Dana Hills is No. 2 and Mira Costa No. 3.

In Division 6, Carpinteria (11-6, Tri-Valley No. 2) travels to Lakeside (19-4, Sunbelt No.2) for a first-round game on Thursday. Also, Los Padres League-champion Santa Ynez (17-8) hosts Hemet (14-14, Mountain Pass No. 2).

Cate (9-6, TVL No. 3) plays at Lompoc (7-4, Los Padres No. 3) in a Division 6 wild-card game on Tuesday. The winner plays at second-seeded Temescal Canyon (16-13, Sunbelt No. 1) in the first round on Thursday.

Segerstrom is the No. 1 seed in Division 6.

Righetti is the top-seeded team in Division 4.

The water polo playoffs schedule has the quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 14 at school sites and the semifinals and finals on Nov. 18 and 21 at the William Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.