Newport Harbor boys water polo pursues first title at North vs. South Challenge

This article, Newport Harbor boys water polo pursues first title at North vs. South Challenge, was first published on SportStarsMag.com.

For all of the impressive achievements in the history of the Newport Harbor High boys water polo program, including 14 CIF-Southern Section championships and a pair of Southern California regional crowns, as well as victories at the South Coast, Elite 8 and Memorial Cup tournaments, there is one title the Sailors have yet to win and that is at the prestigious North vs. South Challenge.

Newport Harbor (22-0) will have an opportunity to not only validate its status as the top program in the state, but also nationally, as the 16-team tournament held at both Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton and Gunn High in Palo Alto includes Greenwich School from Connecticut and Punahou High of Hawaii.

The three-day event, which began in 2006, starts Thursday with showcase games that are not part of the tournament schedule, as Newport Harbor will face Greenwich at 5 p.m. PDT at Sacred Heart Prep.

The Sailors, led by goalkeeper Luke Harris along with attackers Kai Kaneko and James Mulvey, are matched up against Tamalpais in their opening-round contest Friday at Gunn High, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship all held at Sacred Heart Prep.

The...