BOYS WATER POLO: Tenacious defender

Mike Scott, who helped lead the La Cañada High School water polo team to the CIF-Southern Section Division III title, has been selected as the 2007 Star-News Player of the Year. The 2-meter defender was the team s sparkplug with big defensive stops and quick outlet passes. (Keith Birmingham/Staff Photographer)

Player of the Year: Mike Scott
School: La Cañada
Grade: Senior
Position: Two-meter defender
Notable: Scott filled the shoes of Devon Borisoff, who is at USC, and filled them with vigor. The senior was the anchor of the La Ca ada defense and helped the Spartans win the CIF-Southern Section Division III championship. He was named the Rio Hondo League's Most Valuable Player and was selected to the Division III All-CIF team. Scott was pitted against the opponent's top scorer and is, according to Spartans coach Larry Naeve, "one of the best 2-meter defenders in water polo." As the season progressed, Scott became more vocal on the defensive end. His fire and enthusiasm was embraced by his teammates as the Spartans played one of the toughest schedules in the CIF-Southern Section. Scott scored a goal in the Division III semifinals against Ayala.
Quotable: "It was my senior season, so it was nice to have a strong finish."

Coach of the Year: Janice Clark, Arcadia High School

First Team
Anders MacCarthy, South Pasadena, Senior
Taylor Roszkos, La Cañada, Junior
Max Scott, La Cañada, Senior
Spencer Borisoff, La Cañada, Junior
Tommy Gilfillan, Pasadena Poly, Junior
Wesley Yao, Arcadia, Senior
Robbie Pusic, Arcadia, Senior

Second Team
Lucas Lis, South Pasadena, Senior
Robert Poynton, South Pasadena, Senior
Mitchell Fricke, Arcadia, Senior
Michael Langendoen, Arcadia, Junior
Peter Bohlen, Pasadena Poly, Senior
Austin Hough, Pasadena, Senior
Jack Wang, Temple City, Senior

Above: Star-News player of the year, Mike Scott. Reprints of the page can be purchased by visiting our website.