Photos of dozens of Southern California boys high school water polo players, most of them apparently taken at matches or during practices, are appearing on Internet pornography sites, an alarming revelation for several North County school officials.

Included among the photos is a group shot of eight former players for Carlsbad's La Costa Canyon High. Coaches and players reached Tuesday said they did not know who took the photos and posted them on the sites - but they wanted it to stop. The practice appears to be legal.

The photos caught widespread attention after the Orange County Register reported Saturday that water polo players from least 11 Orange County high schools as well as schools in Los Angeles and San Diego counties appeared on five Web pornography sites geared for gay viewers.

As of Tuesday, four of the sites listed in the Register story removed the photos, which depicted players out of the pool and in their Speedo swimsuits.

La Costa Canyon athletic director John Labeta said the photo of the Mavericks players posing poolside in their swimsuits appears to be five to seven years old. None of the players still attends the school, he said.

It was unclear how the picture ended up on the Web site, or even who took the picture, but Labeta guessed the photo was taken after a practice by a parent. He added the photo could have been posted on a player's MySpace page, stolen from there and posted unbeknown to the photographer or the players.

"It's unfortunate that those kind of pictures are out there," Labeta said. "Obviously you put pictures on some Web sites and some people abuse that."

"I really don't know what to say about it," he said. "It is an unfortunate circumstance, and you just hope people aren't predators on our athletes."

California Interscholastic Federation San Diego Section Commissioner Dennis Ackerman said he knew of the Register story but was unaware that a North County school's picture appeared on a pornographic Web site.

Ackerman said he will be attending a State Federated Council meeting Friday with CIF commissioners from throughout California. He expects the subject to be a hot topic and added he will wait until Friday before making any decisions.

"We are going to see what the state CIF will come up with so we will all be on the same page," Ackerman said.

The La Costa Canyon photo, along with about 40 other water polo shots, appear on the shirtless section of a gay porn site registered to a London address.

"Unfortunately you can't police all the Web sites out there," Labeta said.

Athletes' privacy will be discussed in future booster and parent meetings, Labeta said.

After reviewing the photo for the first time, La Costa Canyon coach Dominic Myers said he believes it is at least eight years old.

"The only person I recognize in that picture graduated two or three years ago," said Myers, who has been at La Costa Canyon for three years. "And the way they look in that picture, it just looks that old, and I don't recognize anybody else in that picture."

Phil Murphy, senior captain of the Vista High team, said he was disturbed the photos fell into the wrong hands.

"I think it's terrible that they would do that to our sport," Murphy said. "And everybody else that I've talked to has said the same thing. I just can't understand why anybody would do something like that.

"It just shows the kind of sick world we live in."

Murphy, who is also an assistant coach for a 14-and-under boys club team, said he will become more cautious when his team goes to tournaments.

"When I go to games, I will have to be careful watching out on the pool decks for these kids," he said.

Most troubling, coaches say, is that posting photos of the players is not against the law.

Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, says he will introduce legislation in two weeks that would make it illegal to post pictures of minors to pornographic Web sites.

"I've been tackling this issue for a while and, unfortunately, it doesn't surprise me because these predators are utilizing loopholes in the law to prey on our kids," Smyth said. "I have introduced several bills in attempt to close those loopholes, and I don't think it is unreasonable to prevent the use of the images of minors on pornographic Web sites."

Smyth authored the Surrogate Stalker Act, which would make it illegal to use Internet images to inflict harm on children. The bill is scheduled for a Senate hearing in March.

"I'm sick and tired of the laws protecting the predators, and it's time that we close these loopholes and step up and protect our kids," said Smyth.

Ackerman, the CIF commissioner, said teams and parents will have to be more aware of who is taking pictures on the pool deck at practices and games.

Coach Dave Spence of Vista said that he has been at a tournament or game and wondered who was taking pictures but that it never crossed his mind to approach the photographer. He said that will change.

"It would be a good idea for photographers to approach the tournament director or coach and say who they are and flash their badge," Spence said, referring to credentials the league issues to media photographers.

Spence said the parents of the teams also have to be aware they may no longer be allowed to take photos from the pool deck.

Myers believes the best way to regulate pictures is to have all photographers inform coaches they are going to take photos.

"I think this is something where we … are going to have to adapt," he said. "If (the photographers) get offended, then too bad because the alternative is much, much worse."

- Contact staff writer Matt Null at mnull@nctimes.com.