In the boys’ varsity water polo tournament against Justin Siena, captain Giorgio Cico jumped out of the water to send the ball spiraling over the goalie’s head, scoring yet another goal for Redwood.
Moments like these propelled the team to their 3-1 MCAL record as of press time, their only loss suffered to Drake on Oct. 1. Despite this close defeat to their main rival, the team remains optimistic about the remainder of the season.
“We’re not really worried about the rest of the season,” said Cico, now in his fourth year on varsity. “We’re not going to underestimate anyone, but the goal is just to get back to the championship game and play Drake and take them down.”
The boys’ coach, Rudy Kardos is confident they will meet Drake in the MCAL Championship.
“The game [against Drake] has very little consequence with the end of the year,” Kardos said. “All the other games on the way there are practice games. There are no other opponents this year that are challenges.”
As the season moves forward, the team will rely on their experience and the diversity in their styles of play to obtain the MCAL title.
“Our biggest strength is that we have a bunch of different seniors who all play different styles, so it’s hard for a team to just focus on stopping one type of play,” Cico said.
The team’s starters are all seniors this year: Travis Burroughs, Giorgio Cico, Cole Donnelly, Abe Massik, Grayson Noyes, Jake Racich, and Brandon West. Additionally, the first player off of the bench is senior Joe Matthews. The large number of upperclassmen will help the team in their quest for success, according to West.
“It’s good to have a senior heavy team because then you’ve all been playing together for four years,” West said. “You’ve been playing together in the off season, too. You’re the strongest, biggest, most intelligent kids in the pool.”
In order to win games, the team incorporates every player in the pool into all of their offensive drives and attacks. Through years of playing together, they have forged a team chemistry that continues to give them the edge over their opponents.
“We’re getting more in touch with each other and we’re playing better as a team as the season goes along,” West said.
West is confident in the team’s ability to win MCALs this year.
“This is our golden year,” West said. “Without a doubt, we are the most well rounded team in MCALs.”
Senior Abe Massik has faith that the team will be able to beat every team they play, with the exception of Drake, which currently holds the MCAL title.
The Giants’ next game is on Tuesday, Oct. 14 against Marin Catholic.
