Royal Dominates Water Polo Awards

Royal made a clean sweep of top honors in balloting by coaches for the All-Ventura County water polo team. Senior driver Jack Kocur was named player of the year and Steve Snyder was selected as coach of the year.

The Highlanders also were picked as team of the year after going 27-2 and reaching the Southern Section Division II semifinals for the second consecutive year.

Snyder led Royal to its 12th consecutive Marmonte League title.

Kocur led county players with 142 goals and finished No. 5 on the all-time Southern Section list with 372. He also scored 19 goals in a match against Simi Valley this fall, the fourth-highest single-game total in Southern Section history.

Three Highlanders earned first-team honors: senior field players Luke Frazier and Myles Bozinovski and senior goalie Ralph Radka. Joining them on the first team were three other seniors--Terry Polpink of Agoura, Anzac Jacobs of Buena and Chad Hanely of Calabasas--and Nordhoff junior David Ford.

Second-team honors went to senior field players Erik Edwards of Agoura, Mark McKenna of Thousand Oaks, Ryan Robison of Westlake and Morten Wang of Royal. Juniors on the second team included field players Ryan Osborn of Ventura, Greg Galloway of Royal and goalie Mark Hawkins of Newbury Park.

Third-team recognition was accorded junior field players Spike Wessler of Nordhoff, Jeremy Pickels of Royal, Danny Slatton of Buena and Jered Mueller of Ventura, and Newbury Park seniors Justin Lowtrip and Marco Sorbino. Senior goalie Brien Fox of Buena completed the squad.

Kyle Tarpenning, Cal Lutheran assistant football coach for the past five seasons, announced his resignation to pursue a doctorate in exercise physiology at USC.

Tarpenning served as Joe Harper’s defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. He also was the men’s track coach and the assistant women’s track coach.

Twins Mike and Bob Bryan, 14, of Camarillo, lost in the fourth round of the Orange Bowl International tennis championship Tuesday at the University of Miami.

Mike, who was seeded 10th in the boys’ 14-and-younger class, lost to No. 1-seeded Tommy Haas of Hamburg, Germany, 7-5, 6-2. Bob, seeded ninth, lost to fourth-seeded Bjorn Rhinquist of Stockholm, 6-4, 6-2.

Free agent Brook Jacoby is going to Japan, having signed a one-year contract with the Chunichi Dragons.

Jacoby, 33, a graduate of Ventura High, hit .261 with four home runs and 36 runs batted in in 120 games for Cleveland this year.