Boys Water Polo (8-2) won 25-16 at the Pacific Coast League (PCL) game on Sept. 9 against Portola High. 6 of the 12 players on the roster contributed to the 25 goals on the scoreboard. 

The team started off strong in the first quarter. Within 20 seconds of gaining possession, senior co-captain Victor Martin scored the first goal. This achievement set the tone for the rest of the game.

“We swam really well, we had really good passes, and we got our shots off, which—I mean honestly that was one of the highest shooting percentages we’ve had,” Martin said.

In the first quarter alone, the team scored 13 goals.

“Whether we came out strong in the first quarter or not would have made a big difference, but our guys came out strong and took care of it,” head water polo coach Jesse Briggs said. “The way they came out in the first quarter—pressed hard, kept going, kept focused. Everyone was playing well.”

With a strong offensive and defensive performance, the team scored five consecutive goals within two minutes.

“We came into the game super focused and really shut them down first quarter,” junior Joshua Chen said. 

The team maintained their lead throughout the rest of the game with four goals in the second quarter, six goals in the third quarter, and two goals in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Oleg Shatskikh, who scored nine of the 25 points, attributed the victory to the team’s ability to work together.

“We had a really good counterattack set up…we got good steals, and we had great passes on all our offense,” Shatskikh said. “I think we definitely have a good shot at winning league this year. The only really hard opponent we have this year is Beckman, and I think that, with this team’s performance today, we have a good chance of winning.”

Briggs commended the team for their performance and noted that the victory was a good representation of all the time and effort they’ve put into practice.

“Our guys probably practice the most out of the teams here—four or five hours a day,” Briggs said. “They’re all making it to practice…they’re showing up with enthusiasm and a positive attitude. That goes a long way.”

According to senior co-captain Jaden Chen, the team has high expectations for league and hopes to continue the rest of the season with the same intensity.

“I think that we have a very high chance of winning league and making a nice run in CIFs,” Chen said. “We prepared really well for this game, so I hope we’ll be able to keep that energy going into our next few games.”

The next home game will be at 4:15 p.m. on Oct. 7 against Irvine High.