To go with his eight goals, Mar Vista senior Tanner Kavanaugh also did the push that sent his coach and father into the pool in celebration of the Mariners’ first CIF San Diego Section boys water polo championship.

Mar Vista overpowered Sage Creek 12-5 in the Division 3 final during the rain at La Jolla High’s Coggan Aquatic Complex on Saturday.

The title came in the 21st season for coach Chad Kavanaugh, whose son grew up with the Mariners.

”I’m so happy,” said Tanner Kavanaugh, a fourth-year varsity player. “This has been a dream of mine since I was a little boy.”

Tanner Kavanaugh entered the game with a key tip from his dad as the fourth-seeded Mariners (18-3) faced their first final since 2018 and third overall.

“He just said, ‘Play your game,’ ” he related. “We stuck to our game,

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