Boys’ water polo: Falcons rebound for upset in league tournament

After a disappointing 4-10 season, which led to a No. 6 seed in the El Camino League tournament, the boys’ water polo team pulled off a 10-9 upset of second-ranked Monta Vista on Oct. 24.

In a match against No. 3 Harker, the Falcons fell 14-12. They also lost 11-4 to No. 1 Cupertino and finished in sixth place in the tournament.

“Even if we didn’t win, we had better performances than other games and we did show some improvement,” said senior Ryan Busse, the team captain.

During practices, the boys worked on new drills and techniques to use during games. However, during games the players were had trouble applying these unfamiliar techniques due to lack of experience with the skills.

Many of the matches came down to team spirit and the will to win, according to junior co-captain Grant Chen. “At the end of the day, it comes down to who is more hyped for the game,” he said.

Although the team is graduating key seniors like Busse and Andrew Gao, the team expects fresh talent from this year’s JV team to help fill the void.

“Without [the seniors], the rest of the team will have more room to grow and a chance to shine,” Chen said.