MAJOR MATCHUP-Agoura goalkeeper Ryan Paris, left, and Jake Smither, right, try to defend Royal's Robert Lubell during the teams' game in September. Today at 3:15 p.m., RHS hosts Agoura. Agoura wants a piece, but Royal craves the whole enchilada.

With a share of the Marmonte League boys' water polo championship already wrapped up, the Highlanders host Agoura this afternoon at the Rancho Simi Community Park pool. Game time is set for 3:15 p.m.

What's at stake is either an outright league title for Royal or a split of the championship for Agoura. Both teams have a lot to gain, said Royal head coach Steve Snyder.

"It's shaping up to be one of the biggest games in two decades, that I'm aware of, in Ventura County," said Snyder, who's won a combined 30 league championships in water polo and swimming.

"I can't remember a time when the No. 1-ranked team in CIF played the No. 2 team, both in the same league, in the last game of the season, in the last league game," he said. "It's huge. It doesn't get any bigger than that."

Royal is the top-ranked team in the CIF-SS Division IV poll. Agoura's second. When the teams played in September at Agoura High, the Highlanders won 11-9.

The Chargers got six goals from budding star Peter Kurzeka during the defeat, while the rest of the team struggled.

AHS head coach Dustin Litvak, who's led the Chargers to a 23-4 record with a 10-1 mark in league, said his squad has to have a more level-headed approach in the rematch.

"We can't talk the game up as much as we did the first time," Litvak said. "Maybe we made too much out of it the first time and maybe some of the guys cracked under the pressure.

"We definitely have a variety of talented players, but if it comes down to a one-man show again, it's going to be tough to beat them."

While recent history favors Royal, the Chargers have had success in Simi Valley. In 2002, Snyder said, AHS was the last team to beat the Highlanders at home.

"They just have a look in their eye that says they're really hungry," Snyder said. "They want this as badly, or more so, possibly, than we do."

With a 243 record and an 110 mark in the Marmonte League, the Highlanders are all but assured of the division's No. 1 seed entering the playoffs.

Snyder said his team has had several key contributors this season, adding that the squad wouldn't be where it's at today without goalkeeper Stash Dabrowski.

"He's exceeded my expectations, and those are big flippers to fill," Snyder said. "He's done a terrific job."

The last time Royal won a CIF title was during the 1995 season. The Highlanders entered the playoffs that year as the top seed, as they did in the 1996 and 2000 seasons without the same type of success.

Snyder said he's confident with his team's postseason chances.

"We have a great team," Snyder said. "I think that they are capable of winning it all."

There's also a distinct possibility that today's match will be a playoff preview-possibly even a championship preview if the schools get slotted into separate brackets and play their way through the tournament.

"There's a real good chance we'll see Agoura again," Snyder said. "That's why this is going to be a tough one, really tough."

If you want a good seat to watch the action, get there early.

"It'll be standing-room only," Snyder said. "People will be lined around the pool deck in every conceivable angle."