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Sultans, Norse, Scots lead polo start
- Updated: August 28, 2026
2026 EAST COUNTY PREP BOYS WATER POLO
Santana leads East County contenders into 2026 season
Sultans open as county’s No. 4 team; unbeaten Valhalla and Helix make strong early impressions
EastCountySports.com staff report
SANTEE — Santana begins the 2026 boys water polo season as the clear team to beat in East County, but Valhalla and Helix have already produced results suggesting the Grossmont Conference could again feature several county-level contenders.
The Sultans were ranked fourth in the San Diego Section in the preseason media rankings, trailing only defending Open Division champion La Jolla, Cathedral Catholic and Bishop’s. Santana was the highest-ranked public school from East County and one of three area teams included in the county’s preseason Top 10.
Helix entered at No. 8 and Valhalla at No. 9.
Santana also placed two players on the county’s preseason watch list: senior Davis Jespersen and sophomore Axton Rasmusson. Valhalla senior Julius Brikho was also recognized among the section’s leading players.
Santana, Helix and Valhalla will not have to wait until the postseason to determine East County supremacy.
All three county-ranked teams compete in the five-team Grossmont Hills League alongside Grossmont and Steele Canyon. Each Hills team plays the other four twice during a double round-robin schedule beginning Sept. 30.
The Grossmont The Valley League consists of El Capitan, Granite Hills, Monte Vista, Mount Miguel and West Hills. Valley competition begins Sept. 29, with each team also playing eight league games.
The alignment gives the Hills League unusual countywide significance. Santana, Helix and Valhalla entered the season ranked fourth, eighth and ninth, respectively, making their six head-to-head meetings potential factors in both the conference championship and the San Diego Section playoff seedings.
The Sultans opened against strong opposition, falling 15-12 to Dos Pueblos on Aug. 21. Dos Pueblos is a traditionally accomplished Santa Barbara-area program, making the three-goal defeat a useful early test rather than a reason to reconsider Santana’s standing atop the East County order.
Valhalla has delivered the area’s most impressive start. The Norsemen defeated Patrick Henry 22-12 and Point Loma 18-9, scoring 40 goals while improving to 2-0.
Helix rebounded decisively from a 17-6 opening loss to third-ranked Bishop’s. The Highlanders defeated La Costa Canyon 16-7 six days later, evening their record at 1-1 against two well-regarded programs.
El Capitan split its first two reported games, defeating Olympian 11-6 before falling to Clairemont 17-12. Ramona stands 2-2 after victories over Army-Navy and Aquinas and losses to Beaumont and University City.
With league competition still ahead, Santana remains the East County favorite based on its returning personnel and countywide standing. The Sultans will have to prove it within a particularly strong Grossmont Hills League, however, with unbeaten Valhalla and Helix already providing evidence that the conference race could be one of the section’s most competitive.
2026 Grossmont Conference boys water polo schedule
Junior varsity: 5 p.m.
Varsity: 6 p.m.
Grossmont Hills League
Wednesday, Sept. 30
Grossmont at Valhalla
Steele Canyon at Santana
Helix — bye
Friday, Oct. 2
Valhalla at Steele Canyon
Helix at Grossmont
Santana — bye
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Santana at Grossmont
Valhalla at Helix
Steele Canyon — bye
Friday, Oct. 9
Helix at Santana
Grossmont at Steele Canyon
Valhalla — bye
Wednesday, Oct. 14
Santana at Valhalla
Steele Canyon at Helix
Grossmont — bye
Friday, Oct. 16
Valhalla at Grossmont
Santana at Steele Canyon
Helix — bye
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Steele Canyon at Valhalla
Grossmont at Helix
Santana — bye
Friday, Oct. 23
Grossmont at Santana
Helix at Valhalla
Steele Canyon — bye
Wednesday, Oct. 28
Santana at Helix
Steele Canyon at Grossmont
Valhalla — bye
Friday, Oct. 30
Valhalla at Santana
Helix at Steele Canyon
Grossmont — bye
Grossmont Valley League
Tuesday, Sept. 29
Monte Vista at El Capitan
Mount Miguel at Granite Hills
West Hills — bye
Thursday, Oct. 1
El Capitan at Mount Miguel
Monte Vista at West Hills
Granite Hills — bye
Tuesday, Oct. 6
Granite Hills at Monte Vista
El Capitan at West Hills
Mount Miguel — bye
Thursday, Oct. 8
West Hills at Granite Hills
Monte Vista at Mount Miguel
El Capitan — bye
Tuesday, Oct. 13
Granite Hills at El Capitan
Mount Miguel at West Hills
Monte Vista — bye
Thursday, Oct. 15
El Capitan at Monte Vista
Granite Hills at Mount Miguel
West Hills — bye
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Mount Miguel at El Capitan
West Hills at Monte Vista
Granite Hills — bye
Thursday, Oct. 22
Monte Vista at Granite Hills
West Hills at El Capitan
Mount Miguel — bye
Tuesday, Oct. 27
Granite Hills at West Hills
Mount Miguel at Monte Vista
El Capitan — bye
Thursday, Oct. 29
El Capitan at Granite Hills
West Hills at Mount Miguel
Monte Vista — bye
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