Dos Pueblos boys water polo clinched a spot in the CIF-SS D1 Semifinals with a 15-10 road victory over Yucaipa in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The Chargers, who are the No. 2 seed in D1, will return home to take on No. 3-seeded Laguna Beach on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Elings Aquatics Center.
Dos Pueblos dominated the opening stages of the game, jumping out to a 4-1 lead after the first quarter and extending it to 9-3 by halftime.
Yucaipa came out of the break with back-to-back goals, but the Chargers responded by holding the Thunderbirds scoreless for the last five minutes of the third. The DP offense chipped in three goals to take a 12-5 lead into the fourth.
The Chargers scored two early goals in the final quarter and fought off a late comeback effort to secure the win.
Grant Nelson and Channing Wigo controlled the Dos Pueblos offense in the victory. Nelson scored five goals and dished out two assists, while Wigo collected three goals and four assists.
Charger goalie Koa Zertuche played a key role in the team’s offense and defense, ending the day with seven saves, four assists and two steals. Meanwhile, Wyatt Warkentin and Lucas Neushul each scored three goals.
Dos Pueblos improved to 22-6 overall this season.
