JSerra Boys Water Polo Caps Perfect Season with CIF-SS, Regional Titles

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Perfection isn’t easily attained or even the goal that most teams start their seasons with, but it was evident early on that it might be destiny for a dominant JSerra boys water polo team.

The Lions went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in Southern California, including their first CIF-SS Open Division championship on Nov. 11 and second consecutive CIF Southern California Division 1 Regional championship last Saturday, Nov. 18, to complete a perfect 30-0 campaign and etch their names in history forever.

JSerra had been tagged as the No. 1 team throughout last season as well, but the Lions were still squarely equal with elite rival Newport Harbor with a 2-2 record against the Sailors. JSerra lost last season’s Open Division title to the Sailors, but the Lions exacted some revenge for the Regional title at Newport Harbor’s own pool.

This season, while still hotly contested games, JSerra swept Newport Harbor in all four meetings, including both championship games, to stake its claim as the best boys water polo team in SoCal.

For the CIF-SS championship on Nov. 11, JSerra exploded with a dominant third quarter to break a 7-7 tie with a 7-2 period to capture the title over Newport Harbor, 16-10.

For the Regional title last Saturday, Newport Harbor rallied to tie the game at 10-10 in the final seconds of regulation, but JSerra dominated the overtime for the 14-10 win.

JSerra was paced by superstar senior Ryder Dodd. Dodd, who recently flipped his college commitment from USC to UCLA, had just come home from leading the U.S. Men’s National Team with 28 goals in a gold-medal run at the Pan American Games in Chile to rejoin his JSerra teammates in the CIF-SS playoffs.

“He is the hardest worker I’ve ever coached,” JSerra coach Brett Ormsby said, “and for as good of a player he is, he’s an even better kid. When you have someone like that leading you, you’re going to go good places. That’s not to take away from the rest of the group, which is also unreal.”

Dodd scored a game-high five goals in the CIF-SS Final, including three goals in that pivotal third quarter, and the potential 2024 Olympian pumped in a game-high 10 goals in the Regional Final, including three in the overtime session.

“I’d have to say Newport Harbor, unfortunately for my senior team guys,” Dodd said, when asked which was the tougher competition between the Pan Am Games and Newport Harbor. “I just feel like they play with a lot of heart. Redemption, and there’s a rivalry here. It’s been amazing.”

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