Coronation Time for Sea Hawks

This was more than just a regular-season capper to a Bay League championship. It was a coronation.

Just four years ago, Redondo Union High was taking its lumps as a newbie in girls lacrosse, with losses piling up one after another. But after Wednesday's 22-2 rout of a rebuilding Palos Verdes team, a senior-laden Sea Hawks squad put the bow on an undefeated 12-0 league record.

"Our goal was to win the Bay League,'' co-head coach Tom Borgia said. "We exceeded our goal by going undefeated.''

The Sea Hawks, who are 15-2 overall, have a chance to earn the No. 1 seed spot heading into the playoffs. Borgia and co-head coach Erin Garnsey will learn Sunday who Redondo Union's opponent will be when it hosts a first-round game May 6.

Looming in the distance is powerhouse Los Alamitos, which is the top team in Orange County. Respectful of the Griffins' dominance, Borgia said, "We want to win the north and then see how we stack up against an Orange County team like Los Alamitos.''

But first, Redondo Union will have to guard against a letdown after breezing to a win in its regular-season finale. The playoffs present a big challenge, Garnsey told her players during a short post-game talk. Both co-head coaches talked with the team after the game but not before the players ran a pair of 50-yard sprints, one for every goal that they allowed.

"I think we're ready,'' said Garnsey, who played lacrosse for the University of New Hampshire. "They played very well today and we continue to improve to be a very good team. But we really need to practice hard, coming off an easy win like this.''

The outcome Wednesday was never in doubt. Redondo Union led 16-1 at halftime, scoring seemingly at will. The Sea Hawks' superiority was such that Garnsey and Borgia flip-flopped the personnel on the field, placing offensive players on the defensive side and giving players who primarily play defense the opportunity to attack the goal.

A quartet of seniors paced Redondo Union's scoring onslaught. Chantel Celotto led the way with four goals and three assists. Tully Tampakes, Mariah Linnett and Meesha Robinson each had three goals and an assist. Eleven Seahawks scored in all.

Freshman goalie Heather Czech, who already has college recruiters taking an interest, was not very busy but when tested came up with two nifty second-half saves.

"We did really well,'' Robinson said. "We stayed composed, and after halftime we came out as if the score was zero to zero. But soon after that, everyone was switched around. We're excited about the playoffs, and we really want to finish as high as we can and go as far as we can go.''