A CHARGING AHEAD AGOURA'S KRUZEKA HAS PUT UP THE INDIVIDUAL NUMBERS, BUT HE'D GLADLY TRADE ALL THAT AWAY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THE DIV. IV BOYS' WATER POLO TITLE WITH HIS CHARGERS TEAMMATES.

Byline: Heather Gripp

Staff Writer

AGOURA HILLS - Two days was too long for Peter Kurzeka to wait.

There was practice Monday morning, the day off from school that the Agoura High boys' water polo team would spend preparing for its next playoff game. But Kurzeka knew by Saturday night who the Chargers would be facing in the next round, and he figured there was no sense waiting to think about the matchup.

By Sunday, Kurzeka had already been in touch with his coach and started devising a game plan.

Kurzeka's gaudy goal-scoring statistics grab the headlines, but the way coaches routinely involve him in strategy planning, putting to use his eagerness to get the most out of the entire team, not just himself, is a reminder that he is valued for so much more.

The well-rounded playing skills and advanced knowledge he honed while playing for the U.S. Youth National Team make Kurzeka one of the country's most prized recruits. His unselfish devotion to his team makes Agoura a favorite to play for its first Southern Section title.

"He helps us in so many ways," teammate Matt Carlson said. "He's an all-around player. He doesn't have that holier-than-thou attitude of a star player. He's very humble and always team-first."

The top-seeded Chargers face Arroyo Grande today in the Div. IV semifinals at Pepperdine. Kurzeka, who has 13 goals during the first two rounds of playoffs, is just three goals shy of the team single-season scoring record, but not surprisingly, he wasn't aware of it. His only concern is that the Chargers can reach the finals for the first time with a victory today.

"I didn't even know about the record," he said. "If we win a championship, I'll be a lot happier than I'll ever be scoring, no matter how many goals. I want to win a championship, so if we need a goal and there's someone else with a better shot, I'm passing it to him, not thinking about my stats. I'm really that confident in everyone around me. This is an incredibly talented team."

Kurzeka's belief in winning as a team prompted him to suggest there shouldn't be a formal team captain this year in hopes of everyone being viewed equally valuable. Agoura features 13 seniors, including three returning All-Southern Section selections, but Kurzeka has been at the head of the class since transferring from Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks after a freshman season with the Knights' varsity squad. The transfer made Kurzeka ineligible for varsity as a sophomore, but his MVP honors at both the 2006 Junior Olympics and National Club Championships provided a taste of things to come.

Kurzeka scored a team-high 119 goals as a junior, leading the Chargers to the semifinals and earning himself Daily News' Player of the Year honors. He repeated as a Junior Olympic All-American this summer, and his 119 goals, 52 assists and 58 steals this season are team highs.

Agoura coach Dusty Litvak has watched Kurzeka for years and has yet to find a weakness.

"If you can find one, let me know," Litvak said. "He's one of the most complete players I've ever seen. It'll be interesting to see how much further he takes it the next few years in college.... He's definitely one of the most talented players I can remember. I've been told by several college coaches he's their top recruit."

Kurzeka says he's receiving interest from too many schools to list. He's made an official visit to UCLA, where his club coaches are assistants, and plans to visit other schools, but has put the recruiting process on hold until Agoura's season is finished.

"He's certainly the best player in our area," said Royal of Simi Valley coach Steve Snyder, whose Highlanders also are a semifinalist and the team against which Kurzeka scored a season-high nine goals. "Peter's definitely in the upper echelon of all the players in the CIF Southern Section. To give him credit, he's not just a scorer, he's an excellent defender, too.

"As far as the game he had against us, we have no explanation for how he scored that many goals. We still can't figure it out. He seemed to be open all the time. And he's the guy we were focused on."

Kurzeka gives credit to the Chargers' depth for making it difficult for most teams to devote too much attention just to him. Teammates say they respect the advice Kurzeka gives and Litvak calls him "almost like another coach in the water."

Kurzeka started playing water polo in sixth grade and by the time he entered high school he'd fallen in love with the sport enough to give up other sports. He aspires to play in the Olympics and eventually go into coaching.

"It's definitely my passion," Kurzeka said of water polo. "It's what I use to get everything off my mind. I go to practice and can think about nothing but that."

He blends in around campus as an ordinary student, and that's the way he likes it. His summer stint with the national program provided another welcome reprieve from the spotlight.

"It was a humbling experience," Kurzeka said. "I went over to Europe and saw a whole 'nother world of water polo. The kids over there are way ahead of us. We got killed our first game."

On the positive side, being selected to play among such talent boosted Kurzeka's confidence and exposed him to tactics he tries to share with the Chargers.

Of all the awards he's received, he can't imagine one more satisfying than claiming a championship in his final season with his friends at Agoura.

"It would be incredible, it really would," Kurzeka said. "It would feel good because we've put in so much work, training like crazy. The waking up early six mornings a week, swimming every morning and being tired all day. ... now it's all paying off.

"It's been a great year for me. I don't think I could have a better group of guys to do it with."

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2 photos

Photo:

(1) no caption (Peter Kurzeka)

(2) Agoura's Peter Kurzeka, right, is also known for his strong defensive presence, as he tries to put the clamps on Paso Robles' Alex Carter.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer