The varsity boys water polo team dominated Flintridge Preparatory School in a 14-7 win, maintaining their undefeated record in the Prep League as they near the CIF playoffs. With only three losses this season that came from high-division opponents, and only three league games remaining, the team’s future is looking bright.
The boys’ success emerged from the hard work, dedication and ambition that they put into the sport based on brutal physical conditioning and diligent, strategic preparation.
Through intense practices, the team has consistently been able to outlast their opponents as a result of their superior conditioning. Although the intensity and length of their practices have worked wonders in the pool during games, they have augmented the difficulty of balancing school with water polo. In spite of this challenge, water polo players have by and large remained deeply committed to the sport they love. According to senior Malcolm Villaverde, “The workload this year with managing water polo and academics has been challenging. However, the escape water polo provides has been helpful in maintaining a healthy school and life balance.”
Viewing water polo as an “escape” from the stresses of school has helped the athletes stay dedicated to the sport and allowed them to maintain a strong 4-0 league record and 17-3 overall record.
With high standards, the 14-player varsity squad are determined to play their best game. When asked about the team’s goals, head coach Sean Grab said, “We always talk about us and what we’re doing, so playing our best water polo at the end of the season is always a goal. We say play our best game on our last day. That’s the overarching theme of our season. We want to be playing the best water polo we could possibly play in our last game of the year. We want that last game to be a CIF championship ideally, so that is definitely another one of our goals, as well as dominating the Prep League.”
As their record demonstrates, Poly has undoubtedly dominated the Prep League. The Panthers are now turning their focus to the final few games of the season and hope to dive deep into the CIF playoffs.
Grab and the Panthers captured a hard-fought, 8-7 victory against Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks) on Thursday, Oct. 19. This win against a strong 16-5 Notre Dame team propelled Poly to confident showings against San Pasqual and San Dimas, their most recent matches, which took place on Oct. 20 and Oct. 21 respectively. Poly beat San Pasqual 18-6 on , a win that Poly quickly followed with a more competitive 9-7 victory against San Dimas. Poly will hope to build on their momentum on Oct. 23rd against La Salle.
