San Marcos opened up the 2026 Santa Barbara Boys Water Polo Invitational with a 19-11 victory over Grossmont High on Tuesday at Dos Pueblos’ Elings Aquatic Center.
The Royals will now advance to the winner’s bracket of the tournament, taking on Loyola High on Friday at 1:10 p.m. at Santa Barbara High.
Despite rounding out the day with a tournament victory, San Marcos dropped a non-league, non-tournament matchup with powerhouse Corona Del Mar by a score of 19-10.
Corona Del Mar dominated the opening stages of the game, scoring the first five goals of the game and running away with an 8-3 lead at the end of the first. San Marcos battled back but couldn’t overcome the deficit, resulting in the loss.
Brandon Lee, Ryder Wilson, Milo Kostechko and Mateo Muslera all scored twice for the Royals.
Later on in the day, San Marcos shook off a slow start against Grossmont by scoring six goals in both the second and third quarters to pull away for the win.
Lee’s four goals led the way, while Indiana Roth and Gavin Miller each found the back of the cage twice.
While the Royals have a matchup with Loyola, Dos Pueblos will begin its Santa Barbara Invitational in its home pool on Friday at 1:10 p.m. against Westlake, which defeated Crean Lutheran on Thursday.
Carpinteria High 12, Agoura 7
The Warrior defense came through in the clutch to earn a win over Agoura on Thursday in Carpinteria.
After Carpinteria held onto an 8-7 lead after three quarters, Warrior goalie Stefano Picoletti and the defense shut out the Chargers in the fourth to secure the 12-7 victory.
Chris Reed and Ryder Shaw held the Warriors out to a strong start, but the two teams were knotted at 4-4 heading into halftime. After clutch goals from Carpinteria’s Cade McCallister and Chris Reed, the home team took the one-goal lead into the fourth.
Picoletti had seven saves, two assists and one steal in the cage, while Luke Donahue swiped a pair of steals. As a team, the Warriors totaled 17 front-court steals.
“Our boys can see the progress from today’s game compared to our first tournament, and collectively, they should be proud,” Carpinteria High head coach Russell Russo said. “We made measurable gains in our front-court defense. We still have plenty of work ahead of us, but this group is coming together as a unit.”
The Warriors will head up to Santa Ynez on Tuesday.
