The boys’ water polo team surged to a strong finish for the league season as they ended a successful year with a 9-3 record and a second-place finish heading into the De Anza league tournament.

“We’re extremely happy with how we played this season,” said sophomore field player Neal Siganporia. “Especially at the end of the season, we really stepped up.”

Despite their strong finish, the Falcons will most likely miss CCS, as they tied for second-place in the league, and only first-place Wilcox will advance. However, Siganporia said the team was happy with their accomplishments.

The Falcons turned their season around on Oct. 26, when they played a pivotal game at Lynbrook. Until this point, they had maintained a third-place league standing, going undefeated except for two losses against first-place Wilcox and one versus second-place Lynbrook. A strong performance on Oct. 26 resulted in a 15-10 win as the team leaped into a tie with Lynbrook for second place.

“The win against Lynbrook was huge, because we proved that we were the second best team in the league,” said senior field player Will Tang. “Also, it was Lynbrook’s senior day so it was additionally important.”

Solid goal-scoring performances by field players senior Tim Rollinson and junior Nic Doyen, as well as a great effort by senior goalie Gavin Peake led to the biggest win of the season.

“[Rollinson] and [Doyen], as well as the rest of the team, came up huge,” said Siganporia. “[Peake] also made some sick blocks to keep us in the competition, despite many leg cramps.”

In addition to their performance in the pool, Rollinson and Peake also played key roles as the team’s leaders and catalysts. “As captain and co captain, [Rollinson] and [Peake] pushed all members of the team to their maximum playing ability with inspirational speeches and harsh discipline,” Siganporia said.

The water polo team began playing their league tournament the weekend of Nov 6, but results could not be printed due to printing deadlines.