The SPHS varsity boys water polo team wins a close match against Los Altos.
Story by Kamillah Morales
Staff Writer
SPHS Tigers beat the Los Altos Conquerors in a game 14—12. The two teams were very evenly matched, with the two teams ending up in a tie every time one team pulled ahead. But, in the end, South Pasadena’s great communication, teamwork, and defensive plays brought them to victory.
“I think the potential to improve our strengths is one of the biggest strengths we have,” senior team captain Tanner Yamagata said.
Los Altos got a hold of the ball first, and after exchanging possession of the ball for the first few minutes of the quarter, they scored the first goal of the game. But the Tigers did not let that faze them as sophomore Liam Englender scored a goal and tied the score soon after. The minutes continued to pass as each team proceeded to score another goal throughout the course of the game. With just 10 seconds left of the first quarter, Los Altos scored and took the lead 3—2. It seemed impossible for South Pasadena to score with such little time, yet senior team captain Ethan Cheng threw an unbelievable skip shot from half-court with just four seconds left and tied the score for the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers nearly got possession of the ball in the face-off, but Los Altos snatched it at the last second. However, the strong defense of South Pasadena made it incredibly difficult for Los Altos to make any offensive moves.
“Our counterattack. It can be really strong,” Cheng said. “We got a lot of fast guys here, and I really like our defense.”
Sophomore Quinn Sullivan drove the ball down towards the goal and passed the ball to Englender on the outside, who made another pass back to Sullivan and upped the score to 5—3. The Tigers kept intercepting Conquerors tosses, and the sophomore keeper Lucas Cologne was relentless in blocking the shots that came his way. They were able to sustain their lead for many possessions until the Conquerors scored a penalty shot as well as another goal by continuously passing the ball away from the Tigers grasp. South Pasadena was geared to play even harder thanks to a quick timeout with just one minute of the game left, and Sullivan scored just seconds after. South Pasadena was in the lead 6—5 at the end of the second quarter.
“We played zones and we [frequently pulled] back [to help] when we needed to, and that helped us win the game and not get scored on too much,” junior team captain Mateo Salas said.
Viewers could feel the intensity of the game as Los Altos’ coach and keeper were shouting instructions to the players. Their frustration was evident in the volume of their voices as South Pasadena continued to put pressure on the team, and the stands were filled with energy and cheers of encouragement from both teams. As the third quarter progressed, Los Altos began getting more aggressive, weakening their defense and presenting the opportunity for Englender to score a penalty shot. With a minute left in the third quarter, Sullivan intercepted the ball from the opponents and drove the ball all the way down the court to score. The Tigers were in the lead 8—7, and at the last second of the quarter, senior Maxim Barbara scored a remarkable goal from the side and increased the score to 9—7.
In the fourth quarter, possession was going back and forth between the two teams. Many shots were attempted, but none scored until the last three minutes of the game. The players began getting fired up as the game was ending. Goals were made back and forth, but the Tigers’ plays and counterattacks became unmatched. With just over a minute left in the game, junior Julian Lash seized the opportunity to throw the ball precisely into the net when the offense managed to draw the defense’s goalie away. Los Altos was able to catch up slightly as they scored three goals, but they were still behind 13—11. Cologne scored a remarkable goal as he threw the ball straight above the other keeper’s reach and made it into the net. The game ended with South Pasadena victorious in a score of 14—12.
“We got a lot better this offseason, and we’re looking forward to a great season,” says Cheng. “ I’m hoping this is a start with something great.”
The Tigers will next face the Crespi Celts in a home game on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 4:00 p.m.