Boys varsity water polo defeated the San Marino Titans in overtime followed by sudden death. They finished the game with a score of 14-13 on Thursday, Oct. 17, making their current league record 4-1.
“We feel confident, but we don’t want to be too confident because any team could win,” senior Peter Trinh said. “We just have that game mindset. Their team could be the best team in the world and we just have to come out, commit, and compete.”
The team has a rigorous schedule of two games per week. They kicked off the season on Oct. 1 by securing a victory against the San Marino Titans with a score of 16-11.
Aside from weekly games, they have tournaments every weekend with a record of 10-7.
“My favorite part about playing at tournaments is the other teams,” senior William Coleman said. “In league we play the same few teams and we know how good they are and how they play. During tournaments we get a chance to see a variety of other teams who we might have never seen before and test ourselves against them.”
Games are divided into four quarters of seven minutes each. If there’s a tie, they play “Golden Goal,” in which they play two three-minute quarters and the first team to score wins.
“I’m definitely excited for this year,” Trinh said. “This is my last year playing on the high school team so I just really want to go out there and have a lot of fun, especially with the new team.”
They are working on incorporating their nine new varsity members with the five returning players.
“The team is doing great this year and we continue to grow the program,” coach Davit Ghargyozyan said. “Though we lost a lot of athletes from last year, we are in the process of growing numbers across the board.”
The team trains in the weight room on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 to 5 p.m. and spends the rest of their time in the water on Mondays through Fridays from 2 to 5 p.m. They practice swimming, passing and shooting drills as well as going over plays.
The new pool that was completed on July 26 streamlined this season’s practices. Before the pool opened, they would have to drive 30 minutes to have a pool to practice in. They play a 25-yard course, but the new pool is 33 yards, so it helps the team with conditioning. The pool allows them to have six goals in at once, which helps them get more reps.
“The pool and new facility is amazing,” Gharagyozyan said. “Everyone on the team, including parents, love the new pool. All the accommodations are there and it makes training for water polo a lot easier.”