Tony Altobelli
When he first learned the sport of boys water polo, Peter Belden
was a small fish in a big pool.
"I first started playing in the fourth grade and I was playing against
kids that were two or three years older and much bigger than me," Belden
admitted. "I was pushed around quite a bit early."
Now as a senior for the Newport Harbor High team, it's now Belden's
turn to rule the pool.
Last year's All-CIF and All-American selection is picking up where he
left off and his all-around play has helped the Sailors to the No. 1
ranking in the CIF Southern Section Division I polls.
"Peter is a neat player to have on our team because he can do it all,"
Coach Brian Kreutzkamp said. "When your best defender and one of your
best offensive weapons are all in one package, you know you have a
special athlete on your team."
Belden used all of his weapons in a crucial three-game stretch last
week when the Sailors, then ranked No. 2 in Division I, played No. 1
Villa Park, then followed up with No. 4 Foothill and concluded with the
Division II's second-seed Los Alamitos.
Three heavily ranked opponents, three wins, with Belden making a major
splash in each contest.
Against Villa Park, Belden scored two goals, but it was his tenacious
defense that rattled the Spartans' high scorer Charlie Fisher, forcing
Fisher into a major penalty and an early dismissal from the contest.
Fisher settled for only two goals as Newport won, 6-4.
Against Foothill, Belden turned up the offense and scored four goals
in the Sailors' 11-8 win.
"We use Peter wherever we feel he'd be the most important for us,"
Kreutzkamp said. "Sometimes, defense takes more importance than offense."
Belden's offense was in full overdrive against Los Alamitos, scoring
four goals and dishing off four assists as the Sailors hammered the
Griffins, 11-4, and moved Newport to the top of Division I (18-4).
"I would consider myself a utility player," Belden said. "I just go
wherever I'm needed. I try to be productive in every phase of the game,
but I think when we counterattack is when I'm at my best.
Belden's offensive game has produced a whopping 73 goals, already
surpassing last year's total of 65.
"I didn't even know how many I had until I took a peek at the stat
sheet the other day," The Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week said. "I was
surprised to find out I had that many."
Nothing should surprise Belden in the water polo world. After years of
playing as a youngster, the experience paid off into a varsity spot on
