Having earned its first CIF-Southern Section boys’ water polo title since 1981, Crespi High School received additional honors this week with the announcement of Player and Coach of the Year.
Sophomore Milo Joseph, one of a host of underclassmen who sparked the Celts to the Division 6 championship, was named D-6 Player of the Year, while head coach Stephan Pilillian was chosen Coach of the Year. The awards, selected by the Southern California Water Polo Coaches' Assn., were announced Dec. 9 and presented by the LA84 Foundation.
Joseph — who scored five goals in the Celts’ 9-8 championship match win — is the first Player of the Year for Crespi since the 1981 title season, when Mark Wong was named Division 2-A’s POY.
Also tapped for post-season honors were Crespi junior Brandon Guran and freshman Michael Soybel, named All-CIF in Division 6. The awards auger well for the Celts’ water polo future, though they are likely to be moved to a higher division next season after winning the D-6 title.
In Division 4, J.Serra head coach Brett Ormsby was named Coach of the Year after the Lions — like the Celts — dominated the season in their division, ultimately capturing the D-4 championship. Four Lions were named All-CIF: Lochie Treister, Conor Brough, Drew Vangrin and Johann Thrall.
In all, 13 Catholic high school athletes earned All-CIF honors in 2019. Also recognized were:
D-1: Seniors Carson Kranz and Owen Hale, Loyola, and senior Will Kieckhafer, Santa Margarita.
D-3: Senior Sean Sherman, Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks.
D-5: Junior Robert Alietti and senior Cole Marston, St. Francis.
