It all started on Monday, September 9th when boys’ varsity water polo had their first match of the season against Summit High School. This game was not the most successful; however, it would not define their season. Boys’ varsity water polo went on to win the Division 5 CIF Championship for the first time in 20 years. This is a huge accomplishment, as they’ve only made it to the championships three times, and this time they proved to be victorious. 

Throughout the season, this team had one main goal in mind: to win CIF. At the time, it may have seemed to be impossible to achieve due to challenges and past results. However, in the end, they achieved this goal and they proved that it is possible with hard work and grit.

“My and [that of] probably all the seniors’ goal was to win a CIF title,” Alexander Florentinus (12) said. “We knew we could do it and we knew we had the players to do it, but as seniors, it meant more to us than anything as it was our last year.”

This season was certainly a memorable one for the players as well as their supporters. Plenty of amazing things happened that these players will never forget, and the seniors will cherish as their last moments on this team. Being a part of this team is something that they will carry on throughout their lives, and reflect on in a positive way in the future. 

“My favorite moment of the season was being able to provide the athletes some of their favorite memories of high school”, Coach Kevin Hammond said. “Being a part of one of their memories that will last a lifetime is something that’s special to me”

This year, boys’ varsity water polo played a total of 37 games throughout their season. By the end of the season, they had a record of 22-15 overall, and a league record of 3-5. In the league, they placed 4th overall out of six teams. However, in the end, they outshined all the rest of these teams by coming out on top for CIF. Due to their championship for Division 5, they went on to regionals, though they lost in the semi-finals. Nonetheless, this was a great season for this team, proving to be extremely successful and memorable.  

The roster for this season consisted of Ben Trull (12), Noah Heiderscheidt (12), Tyler Johnson (12), Julian Juarez (12), Alexander Florentinus (12), Evan Chang (11), Zachary Chang (11), Colin Mulqueen (11), Sung Park (11), Ian Christos (10), Christian Garcia (10), Alex Sanchez De La Cruz (10), Kai Santiago (10), Ethan Sarmiento (10), James Surio (10), Nathan Thacker (10), Kane Wukelich (10), and Tianchen Ding (9). 

Due to the superfluous success of this season, the next question that many have in mind is what will next season be like? Will they be able to top this past season or do just as well? Also, how will they achieve this next wave of success? Oftentimes, when a good thing is going, it is best to keep everything the same as similar results are likely to occur. 

“I really wouldn’t do anything differently to be honest,” James Surio (10) said. “This season was amazing and I don’t want to change anything”.

Even though this season has come to an end, there are many more to come, which plenty are looking forward to. Our Bulldogs are eager and excited for these upcoming seasons and cannot wait to see what the future will hold. 

“Next season I am looking forward to working with a new set of athletes. I am excited to help them realize their potential, grow as young men, and hopefully win a few games along the way,” Coach Hammond said.