Photo Credit: Tiffany Luu
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Polo packs a punch

Photo Credit: Tiffany Luu
Photo Credit: Tiffany Luu

     As the buzzer rang on the night of Wednesday Sept. 8, the victory of the MC Sundevils over the Ramona Bulldogs was sealed. The boys’ varsity water polo team won 11-8. The game involved a series of back-and-forth goals in the first half, but the tides turned after junior Jake Danzer scored a goal in the last seconds of the second quarter. From then on, the boys’ water polo team continued to widen the gap of their lead. 

Heading into the game, the boys had a bite of vengeance with them, for just the past weekend they had lost to Ramona due to a loss of MC players. This game, the boys were determined to shut down Ramona’s key shooters, which turned out to bring positive results.

    “There’s two players that scored nine of their 14 goals [last time],” varsity coach Max Hansen said.  “Our strategy today is match ups. We’re going to be have Danzer and [senior Jacob] Andrada matched up on their better players to control that score. I think the outcome will be favorable if we can prevent two players from scoring nine goals.” 

Photo Credit: Tiffany Luu
Photo Credit: Tiffany Luu

The team’s plan of action paired with the leadership of the captains, Danzer, Andrada, and senior Jordan Fan, created a combination of success not only for their game against Ramona but also their game against Great Oaks on Sept. 1. Sophomore Evan Gent relays how the captains’ leadership influences him.

     “Danzer and I play on the same club team and he’s taught me how to pick up my shot and a lot of vision and strategy, so I’m striving to be a good captain like him,” Gent said. “I look up to Andrada because he’s really inspirational, and he gets everybody motivated.”

Looking at what lies ahead this season, the boys have their intentions set. For many, the goal is to return to the destination the team reached two years ago – CIF finals. With the new coach and new attitudes, the team strives towards building a more cohesive team. Their outlook is optimistic.

“[The coach] is coming in positive and he’s really big on a team aspect,” Andrada said. “He’s involving everybody which is nice. We definitely still have a lot of work to do but that’s just for the rest of the season to decide.”

Players and coaches call out students to attend and support the players.

“Definitely come out and watch our games,” Andrada said. “It’s a lot of fun, and there’s a great snack bar, so come out and bring the Red Sea.” 

As an incentive, the coach relays a message involving his extensive collection of fedoras, acclaimed by many players. Senior and goalie Blake Adams even goes on to describe the head wear as “majestic.”

“I’ve got about 15 fedoras,” Hansen said. “So, if you like fedoras, come out to the game and I’ll wear one for you.”

If that isn’t appealing enough, then the fast pace of the game showcasing our talented Sun Devils will be sure to lure you into the world of water polo.

Written by Chloe Jiang

Chloe Jiang is a senior and a co-editor-in-chief of The Sun, a tea aficionado, a La Jolla Cove frequenter, a grammar snob, and an advocate for gender equality. Among her favorite words are bougie and trite.

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