This article is from Tiger Newspaper’s September 2015 issue
By Nick Michael
Staff Writer
Photo by Stephanie Kim
The varsity boys’ water polo team played five games in two days over the weekend in the Los Altos Water Polo Tournament. The boys won three of the five, and finished in sixth place out of the 32 teams that entered the tournament.
“We faced the best teams around, and it was a good learning experience. We did better than we did last year, and we hope to do even better next year,” junior Robert Decker said.
The team looks to maintain such success in the weeks to come, with league play creeping close. The boys have just two more non-league games, against Pasadena High School and El Rancho High School. On Tuesday, October 6, the Tigers will face the Temple City Rams in the Rio Hondo League opener.
The team’s season has been excellent so far. The boys won seven of their first ten games, and two of their three losses came against Montebello High School, a team that advanced to the Division III CIF Finals last year. However, it is not the losses that stand out this year, but the wins. At one point in the season, the Tigers had outscored their opponents 63-9 over a three game stretch. All of the boys’ wins have been by significant margins, most notably the 23-1 beatdown of Mark Keppel High School on September 3.
Last year, the boys did not fare so well in league play, finishing with an unsatisfactory record of 3-5. However, the new squad is looking significantly better. The team chemistry seems to have improved greatly, which has led to more wins. And the boys expect to continue this in league play.
“Our hard work during the off-season has really paid off this year,” junior Spencer Gurley said. “We are hoping for eight wins in league play, and we want to develop our skills.”
The team’s next game is on Thursday, September 24, away against Pasadena High School. The boys will be without one of their key players, as junior DJ Myer received a one game suspension for an illegal foul in the previous game. Despite the setback, however, the Tigers are confident that they can still play at a high level.
