SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS: GOAL ORIENTED PERRAM LEADS HIGH-SCORING AGOURA INTO SECTION SEMIS.Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer AGOURA - DeDe Perram wants that pasta party. The thought of earning a couple of weeks off from swim team practice is a nice incentive, too. But it hasn't taken much to motivate Perram since she took up water polo water polo, swimming game encompassing features of soccer, football, basketball, and hockey. The object of the game is to maneuver, by head, feet, or hand, a leather-covered ball 27 to 28 in. as a freshman. Now a junior at Agoura High, the hole-set is a key part of the Chargers' drive for a Southern Section title. Perram enters today's Division II semifinal against San Marcos San Marcos (săn mär`kəs). 1 City (1990 pop. 38,974), San Diego co., S Calif., a northern suburb of San Diego; settled 1880s, inc. 1963. with a school-record 67 goals as well as 20 assists and 40 steals this season. She scored a game-high six goals in Saturday's first-round victory over Oxnard and had another solid performance in Tuesday's quarterfinal quar·ter·fi·nal adj. Of or relating to one of four competitions in a tournament, whose winners go on to play in semifinal competitions. n. 1. quarterfinals A quarterfinal round. 2. A quarterfinal match. . ``I do what I can for the team,'' Perram said. ``If I score goals, that's what I do. If it's defense or whatever, I'll do that. I want to win.'' She's done plenty of winning the past two years. Agoura (20-6) finished Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school sports league primarily made up of schools from Ventura County. The Marmonte Leauge is part of the CIF Southern Section. Click here to view the league schedule. play undefeated for a second consecutive season and is seeded No. 2 in the playoffs. The semifinal berth is a first for the Chargers, but they are aiming higher. To ensure they aren't satisfied with just reaching today's game, Perram and the Chargers decided not to have a team pasta party, which is traditionally held before big games. To get another party, Agoura has to reach next week's final. ``We want that last pasta party and we'll do whatever we need to get it,'' Perram said.'' Coach Jason Rosenthal added another enticement by promising the Chargers a week off before joining the swim team if they qualify for the final. A championship earns them a two-week break. ``If we just play our style of water polo and do what we've been doing,'' Agoura has a good chance of realizing its season-long goal of meeting defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre and No. 1 seed Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. in the final, Rosenthal said. Agoura's rise mirrors that of Perram. Both were in the learning stages two years ago, solid last year, and are now dominating. Perram, 16, started playing the sport as a freshman - the first season girls' water polo was an official Southern Section sport - because her mother thought it would be a good activity for someone who hadn't been involved in sports but always enjoyed swimming. ``I never did sports. I hated sports,'' Perram said. ``I tried (water polo) and I fell in love with it.'' Being surrounded by other players just learning the game kept Perram from getting discouraged dis·cour·age tr.v. dis·cour·aged, dis·cour·ag·ing, dis·cour·ag·es 1. To deprive of confidence, hope, or spirit. 2. To hamper by discouraging; deter. 3. as she tried to learn the rules and master skills such as passing. Carrie Lohnberg was Perram's role model. Perram followed Lohnberg's lead so much, she even took over as the scorekeeper score·keep·er n. An official who records the score throughout a game or competition. score  keep for the boys' team when Lohnberg graduated. Perram earned first-team all-league and All-Southern Section honors last season when she was the Chargers' second-leading scorer with 48 goals. Added experience at a high level combined with better shot selection and accuracy led to Perram passing the scoring record (51) Colleen col·leen n. An Irish girl. [Irish Gaelic cailín, diminutive of caile, girl, from Old Irish. Schiman set last season as a sophomore. Opponents quickly pick up on Perram's ability and try to focus on her, but with a team as balanced as the Chargers, doing so can be costly. Schiman is a frequent scorer and fellow juniors Erika Clark, Joanna Joanna, in the Bible Joanna, in the New Testament. 1 Wife of Herod's steward Chuza. She was a follower of Jesus and was one who found the tomb empty. 2 Ancestor of St. Joseph. Antonsen and Cam Pearce consistently contribute. ``We have a really, really well-rounded group of girls,'' Perram said. ``We worked as hard as we could and it's paid off. We've all set our minds on winning, on winning CIF (1) (Common Intermediate Format) A standard video format used in videoconferencing. CIF formats are defined by their resolution, and standards both above and below the original resolution have been established. The original CIF is also known as Full CIF (FCIF). .'' GIRLS' WATER POLO Division II semifinalAt Newbury Park, 3:15 p.m. SAN MARCOS vs. AGOURA Outlook: San Marcos returns three starters from last season's division runner-up and is strong up the middle, but Agoura should match up well. Keep an eye on: Agoura's Erika Clark. Clark is at the core of the Chargers' larger group of talented juniors. When opponents shift their focus to higher scorers like DeDe Perram or Colleen Schiman, Clark steps up. She provides consistent scoring and defense. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Agoura's DeDe Perram, right, set a school record for goals in a season with 67 this year despite only playing the sport for two years. Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News Box: GIRLS' WATER POLO (See text) |
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