After winning their first eight games and finishing the preseason with a 10-2 overall record, the Boys Varsity Water Polo team head into Rio League play with optimism. The Rams hope to contend for the league title after placing first in the Ayala Tournament in August.
The team lost its first league game to San Marino on Oct. 7 by a score of 13-6. The Rams bounced back with a win the next week against Monrovia, defeating the Wildcats by a score of 20-6 on Oct. 14.
Part of the reason for the team’s success this season is their swimming ability. The Rams built endurance and take advantage of this trait while their opponents are tired during games. The Rams often find themselves in two on zero or one on zero situations because they are able to get across the pool faster than their opponents.
The team does not lack experience either. There are five seniors on the team, including team captains Seniors Vincent Sicat and Micah Chong.
“We have no new players and no new coaches,” Sicat said. “Only an improved team, because we are focused on training and competing as a unit.”
However, the team’s greatest weakness is their tendency to shoot too early and rushing their possessions. Fortunately, the Rams can rely on their strong defense and are working on fixing their flaws.
The Rams won the Ayala tournament in August, defeating their opponents by large goal margins. Coach David Ta entered the team in a low level tournament, but the players felt disrespected and overlooked. They played with a drive to prove that they belonged with the higher ranked teams.
“We were going to win this tournament to prove that the coaches voted incorrectly and that TCHS should have been competing at the highest level of the Ayala Tournament,” Sicat said. “We played every game with the mindset of proving that point, that they underestimated our team.”
In the offseason, the Rams were dedicated to get stronger and improve their game by focusing on practice and weight training. Coach Ta implemented a new technique to improve their speed and endurance by making his players wear sweat pants while swimming and practicing in the pool.
After losing their first league game, the team has a new sense of urgency and hope to redeem themselves. Their goal is to win the Rio Hondo League title and they do not wish to lose another game for the rest of the season.
“We started league and set ourselves behind by losing to our rivals San Marino,” Sicat said. “We have talked together as a team and understand everything that went wrong, so now we will learn from it. As a unit we have decided to be focused on everything that needs to be done. We are going to get up and try again, even harder than before.”