Boys' water polo: hook, line and swimmer

Adie DinolfoSports EditorAfter spending the entire summer training, and ending the last week of break with “hell week”, the Boys’ Water Polo team is enthusiastic and excited for the upcoming season, which technically begins early October.“Pre-season started out slow, losing game ys right and left,” junior Kairo Dilla said. “But as our pre-season training continued, we connected as a team, beating league opponents during our home tournament.”At the end of last year, the team lost eight seniors, including the dynamic duo, Marc Vonderweidt and Maxi Vilim-Brozyna . Last year’s starting lineup played consistently together, but the new starting lineup struggled to learn  to play effectively with one another.“Instead of having two powerhouses like last year,” Senior Brian Kong said, “we are a very balanced team. We need everyone to step it up.”Kong, along with the rest of the team, believes that there is great potential in the younger players on the team. The varsity team alone has three sophomores. With more playing experience comes a general awareness of the game.The team constantly works to strengthen fundamentals, communication, and accuracy. With practice and commitment, the team has learned how to better communicate. According to senior Brian Kong, the team still has room to improve.“If we could make accurate passes into set every time and capitalize on every opportunity,the difference in goals scored would be substantial,” Kong said. “Overall, the team is looking pretty good but we need to focus on the little things to really put us in the next tier of teams. “In the last tournament of the summer, the team lost to their league competitors, Torrance High School. Angry and disappointed, the team said that they are gearing up to beat them the next chance they get.Due to their hardcore summer training, the team gained experience that can only be achieved through game time. Judging my their impressive lineup and promising future, CIF is not out of the question either. High hopes make more better motivation.“We just need more game time,” Coach Matthew Flanders said. “As the season progresses, we will get better.”adinolfo@thesamohi.com