As of Nov. 3, the boys’ varsity water polo team sits at a record of 23-3, following a close battle against Archie Williams in the MCAL finals, in which they lost 11-8. Previously as of Oct. 29, the Giants ranked 17th nationally and 12th in California on MaxPreps, the most used high school sports ranking app in the country. The Giants are now preparing for the NCS playoffs and sit at the first and highest seed in the tournament. As the Giants continue to win games, they are continuing to receive invitations to these select tournaments. The team placed first in the “Battle in the Creek” tournament on Oct. 12, going on to win all four games in which they participated. On day one of the tournament, they beat Mid-Pacific Institute 16-5, and Monte Vista 15-4. They then beat Harker 11-8, and College Park 9-7 on day two. Although coming short in the MCAL championship, the team has a chance at redemption as they hope to win back to back NCS titles.
A large contribution to the team’s success throughout the season has been their team chemistry and leadership. As the Giants look forward to the NCS playoffs, they look to continue this success.
Two-year varsity member junior Oliver Rogers believes that the key to the Giants’ success is their team’s chemistry and hard work inside and outside of the pool.
“We’ve been practicing hard, we’re playing at a high level, [we’re] being coached well, [we’re] playing well on defense and we’re starting to click chemistry wise,” Rogers said.
Leadership from the upperclassmen has very positively impacted the play of the Giants this year. Rogers mentions how he is inspired by his team captains.
“Before this season, there were some questions regarding how good we would be. We have a lot of new players and [underclassmen]. Our captains, Ossie Joplin and Sawyer Goldberg, have been a key factor in developing us as a team,” Rogers said.
Senior and team captain Ossie Joplin is a large contributor to the success of the team. Joplin is a three-year varsity athlete and over the course of his three seasons has scored 223 goals and 41 assists, totaling 264 points in his 75 game varsity career, according to MaxPreps.
“I’m trying to win and bring the team closer together [by] building off [our success] and make it as far as we can,” Joplin said.
Not only is Joplin a fantastic player in the pool, he is also a great role model and mentor to his teammates.
“I’m trying to give [the team] as much advice as possible because I won’t be here next year. I try to be there for everyone,” Joplin said.
Joplin believes that with NCS playoffs coming up, the Giants are prepared and ready to fight for glory. Due to the experience the Giants have now gained from playing in several tournaments, Joplin thinks that the Giants are ready to compete in a playoff atmosphere.
“In every tournament that we’ve played in, we have done really well—medaling in all three, and winning two. I think the tournaments help us prepare for the postseason because we play better teams and know how to deal with different levels of physicality,” Joplin said.
It has been a great water polo season for the Giants, and the team is ready to compete with their advanced leadership and experienced players. To support the Giants, come to their first NCS matchup where they play 16th seeded Alameda at home on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
