Water polo looking for three-peat

DOWNEY - The Warren High School girls' water polo team is set to defend their back to back C.I.F. Division VI titles in 2013.The Lady Bears have dominated San Gabriel Valley League play and finished last season with an overall record of 23-9. The Lady Bears began their 2012-13 season Wednesday against Rosary (score unavailable at press time) and will compete in the Bob Benson Tournament this weekend hosted by El Dorado High School. The Lady Bears are making the jump to Division V this year after competing in Division VI the last two seasons. For their efforts, the Lady Bears are ranked second in the C.I.F. Preseason Division V poll. The Lady Bears return several key players from last year's team. Jocelyn Castro, Kayla Casas, Star Meza and Alexis Huerta all return with more experience and skill under their belts. Other players expected to fill roles are seniors Graciela Salinas, Alma Najera, Celeste Moreira, and Jennifer Ortega. Junior Varsity players from last season's team expected to step up include sophomore Johanna Najera, sophomore Whitney Pemberton, senior Danielle Echeverria and junior Ashley Hahn. Freshman Justine Castro, the younger sister of Jocelyn Castro, will contribute and play a key role as well. The Lady Bears' key losses to graduation from last year are Jen Tritz, Ivana Castro and Joanne Svendson. Coach Cordero maintains that "we have the talent and potential to win our third C.I.F. title this year." Cordero continued by saying that "we have a tough schedule this year and are playing out of our division against upper division teams who are ranked and will challenge us." "The success of this team will be based on an all team effort, from start to finish," Cordero said. "We are pretty excited about this new challenge and are looking forward to another great season."

********** Published: November 29, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 33