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RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA — JSerra’s re-emergence as a boys water polo powerhouse encountered another test Wednesday night with a trip to Santa Margarita.
Dylan Park helped the Lions make a statement.
The junior scored from the top of the perimeter 21 seconds into the second sudden-death overtime to lift JSerra to a 12-11 victory in a Trinity League match at Santa Margarita High.
With only one senior in its starting lineup, JSerra (14-3, 4-0) defeated reigning Trinity League champion Santa Margarita (13-9, 3-1) to clinch at least a share of the league title with one match left.
The Lions navigated past the Eagles and their rowdy student section to claim their third win against Santa Margarita this fall.
“We wanted to come here (and) make a statement win against a really great team,” said Park, whose game-winning strike was his lone goal. “We’re here to try and win. We’re going to compete with any team. We can beat any team.”
Earlier this month, JSerra reached its first tournament final since 2024 in placing second to Cathedral Catholic in the Elite 8.
The Lions edged Newport Harbor in the semifinals to regain the No. 1 ranking in Orange County.
Park snapped the eighth tie of the match moments after JSerra’s Lars Knepper narrowly won the sprint to open the second sudden-death overtime.
The Lions quickly passed the ball to the other side of the pool. Ronan Keane then fired a pass from the deep wing to Park, who found open space as the Eagles dropped their defense on Christian Yonker at center.
“Shoutout to my teammates for giving me that much space,” said Park, who contributed off the bench.
JSerra took an 11-10 lead on a perimeter strike by Knepper with 2:12 left in the second three-minute overtime.
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Knepper also scored with 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter to knot the score 9-9.
The junior alertly shot early in the shot clock to give the Lions a chance to win in regulation.
Knepper, Keane and senior Joseph Wraith each scored twice to lead a balanced attack.
The Lions’ focus on defense forced 18 turnovers going into the first sudden-death overtime.
Knepper and Keane, a junior, led their team in steals with five and three, respectively.
Junior goalie Stefan Vukojevic added seven saves.
“I’m really pleased with the progress we’ve made from last year to this year,” said JSerra coach Brett Ormsby, whose team lost in the crossover round in the CIF-SS Open Division playoffs last season. “A lot of that is that not results based. It’s based on team cohesion and these other core values that we have.”
“These guys have grown together,” the Olympian added. “They’ve trusted the process. They’ve gained a little bit of confidence. We earn our confidence. Now, still some room to grow.”
Santa Margarita left-hander Brahman Davis scored from the perimeter with 1:20 left in the second three-minute overtime to force sudden-death overtime.
The Eagles, ranked No. 5 in the county, showed balanced scoring and depth.
David Greenfield, Tanner Gorman, Owen Raney and USC-committed center Logan McGann each scored twice.
Goalie Oliver Beck, a junior who recently returned to the team, made 14 saves.
“This rivalry is real,” Santa Margarita coach Ivan Buich said. “JSerra is a great team and we went the distance with them.”
JSerra and Santa Margarita head to Northern California this weekend for the North-South Challenge hosted by Sacred Heart Prep. The Lions are seeded third behind Cathedral Catholic and Miramonte. The Eagles are No. 10.
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This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 10:44 PM.