Daily Pilot Boys’ Water Polo Dream Team: Ben Liechty led Newport Harbor to back-to-back CIF crowns
Ben Liechty was always taller and more skilled than most of his boys’ water polo peers.
He was the one who you’d watch play and question if he was in the right age division.
Newport Harbor High coach Ross Sinclair remembers coaching in the San Diego County Cup club tournament, soon after he was hired at his alma mater in April 2015. Sinclair had to go down and coach the 10-and-under team, and Liechty was on the roster.
But the left-hander would also play on the 12-and-under team, and the 14-and-under squad.
“I just remember him going from game to game, pool to pool,” Sinclair said. “I think we won at every level, 10s, 12s and 14s, that weekend, and he was probably close to the most impactful player at every age group.”
That kind of prodigious talent lent Liechty to nab a key role on the Sailors as a freshman, a rarity in a program like Newport Harbor. The thing is, he never stopped improving.
The UCLA-bound Liechty capped off his high school career with a pair of CIF Southern Section Open Division titles. He also earns repeat Daily Pilot Boys’ Water Polo Dream Team Player of the Year honors.
“Winning CIF in two different ways is super exciting,” Liechty said. “My junior year, we were kind of the underdogs. My senior year, we came in more confident. I felt like the younger guys were able to step up and fill the shoes of those who left, which was super exciting and probably the most fun thing to watch.”
Liechty also filled shoes as a senior leader, trying to take a cue from someone like program graduate Mason Hunt. The laid back Liechty called Hunt the best leader he’s been around, and he said trying to replicate that was probably one of the hardest things he’s ever done.
But it was job well done for the Sailors (30-3), who won the Surf League title and then the program’s 14th CIF championship with a 10-9 victory over top-seeded Serra. Liechty shared the league MVP and CIF Open Division Player of the Year honors with his teammate, junior center Peter Castillo.
The 6-foot-4 Liechty also shared the ball, routinely racking up assists as a well-rounded player. In the Open Division final, he scored a team-best three goals.
“I can probably count the amount of times on my hand that he made a bad water polo decision in the four years that I’ve seen him,” Sinclair said. “Even all the way back when he was in 10-and-unders, he just always makes the right play. I think he sees the game really well and rarely forces it, which is super-special … For a four-year career at Newport he’s got to be up there with some big names.”
Two players he will join in the men’s college water polo ranks share his last name. The oldest of the three Liechty brothers, Jake, has started coaching with Newport and plays at UC Irvine. Ben will join Eli at UCLA.
Asked what he thinks about having three brothers in college water polo at the same time, Ben Liechty just smiled.
“I think my parents [Dan and Beth] probably think about that,” he said. “But I think it’s great how the program has grown through the years that we’ve been here. Seeing that progress has just been amazing.”
Following are the coach of the year and first- and second-team Dream Team selections:
COACH OF THE YEAR
Ross Sinclair
Newport Harbor
When Sinclair guided the Sailors to the inaugural CIF Southern Section Open Division title in 2021, it was the program’s first CIF championship in 14 years. Repeating wasn’t an easy task, either. Surf League champion Newport Harbor survived a scare against rival Huntington Beach in the Open Division quarterfinals but put together back-to-back standout performances against Studio City Harvard-Westlake and JSerra in the semifinals and finals at Woollett Aquatics Center. Sinclair also repeated as the Open Division Coach of the Year and in his nearly eight years at his alma mater has created a program more than able to compete with private school powerhouses.
FIRST TEAM
Peter Castillo
2M | Newport Harbor | Jr.
Sinclair called Castillo “a generational talent,” and anyone who watched the Sailors’ games wouldn’t argue. He regularly drew close to double-digit exclusions at center and also was more than adept at putting the ball in the back of the net. Castillo shared major postseason awards, including the Surf League MVP and CIF Southern Section Open Division Player of the Year, with Liechty.
Zach Bettino
ATT | Huntington Beach | Sr.
Bettino, a left-hander, possessed one of the best shots in Southern California and helped the Oilers (20-7) return to the Open Division playoffs after losing two key transfers. Once there, he scored four goals as Huntington Beach nearly beat eventual champion and rival Newport Harbor in the quarterfinals, before the Sailors rallied for a 14-12 overtime victory. Bettino, a first-team All-Surf League and All-CIF selection, is bound for USC.
Sai Bassett
ATT | Laguna Beach| Sr.
Bassett was the Breakers’ team captain, and he earned that position with his play in and out of the pool. Laguna Beach (18-11) didn’t win a match in the tough Surf League, but Bassett still helped them advance to the Division 1 semifinals. He finished third on the team with 41 goals in just 15 matches, and was a first-team all-league and first-team All-CIF selection.
Charles Warmington
ATT | Corona del Mar | Jr.
Warmington is a left-hander who did a bit of everything for the Sea Kings, as coach Kareem Captan said he led the team in most statistical categories. The Wave League MVP, he helped CdM (22-9) win league and advance to the semifinals of the Division 1 playoffs, where the Sea Kings lost by a goal to eventual champion Orange Lutheran. Warmington, an All-CIF selection, and the once-young Sea Kings have grown a lot in the last year and could peak next year with a strong senior class.
Ethan Spoon
2M | Huntington Beach | Jr.
Spoon had big shoes to fill as the Oilers’ primary center following the graduation of James Rozolis-Hill. But he delivered, earning first-team All-Surf League honors. The three-year varsity player drew plenty of exclusions for Huntington Beach and should be a top returner next year for coach Sasa Branisavljevic’s Oilers.
Camren Simoncelli
2M | Corona del Mar | Jr.
Simoncelli is the third center to earn first-team Dream Team accolades, and all three are part of the class of 2024. Big and physical, he dominated at two meters, and was a first-team All-Wave League selection. Simoncelli also earned first-team All-CIF Division 1 honors. When considering Simoncelli along with Castillo, the Back Bay should have two of the best centers in Southern California next year.
Cooper Mathisrud
GK | Newport Harbor | Sr.
Besides Liechty, Mathisrud is the only repeat first-team Dream Team honoree. He earned it with his play in goal for the Sailors, coming up big time and time again in the team’s postseason run. Mathisrud made nine saves in the Open Division final win against JSerra, including a fourth-quarter penalty shot stuff against Ryder Dodd. He was a second team All-Surf League and first-team All-CIF selection.
SECOND TEAM
Position, Name, School, Year
ATT Finn LeSieur, Newport Harbor, Sr.
UTIL Wes Brazda, Costa Mesa, Jr.
ATT Joseph Stanbridge, Ocean View, Jr.
ATT Lico Yuno, Marina, Jr.
ATT Cade Anderton, Laguna Beach, Jr.
ATT Jackson Harlan, Corona del Mar, So.
GK Hunter Van Meter, Edison, Sr.
::
Support our sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.
For more sports stories, visit latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports or follow us on Twitter @DailyPilotSport.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
