Katie Buzzetta and Jayme Telles helped lead the Baler girls
waterpolo to a 5-0 start
There’s a lot of buzz this year around the San Benito High
varsity swimming pool. And it’s not because there’s a beehive
nearby.
This buzz is about the outstanding play of the San Benito High
girls’ water polo team, and particularly the play of the two star
players that are on it
– Katie Buzzetta and Jayme Telles.
Katie Buzzetta and Jayme Telles helped lead the Baler girls waterpolo to a 5-0 start
There’s a lot of buzz this year around the San Benito High varsity swimming pool. And it’s not because there’s a beehive nearby.
This buzz is about the outstanding play of the San Benito High girls’ water polo team, and particularly the play of the two star players that are on it – Katie Buzzetta and Jayme Telles.
This year the solid play of these two junior standouts has helped the Balers vault to the top of the Tri County Athletic League’s standings sheet – a spot where no Baler team has been since 2003.
Currently the Balers are 15-2 overall, 5-0 in league and riding the wave of a 13-game win streak.
A road win on Tuesday over Santa Catalina, the team they are tied for first place with in league, would lock up a Tri County Athletic League title and give the Balers a guaranteed trip to the Central Coast Section playoffs, which start at the end of the month.
“It’s very surprising,” said first-year head coach Lacey Sutton, who was concerned at the start of the school year that her team might struggle this season as a result of a lack of experience. “We’re just really working well as a team this year. They’re playing very good and they have the heart and desire.”
At the heart of that team tenacity is Buzzetta and Telles. This season both of them are either No. 1 or No. 2 in every statistical category that’s kept – including scoring, assists, shots on goal and steals.
“I think we’re really doing well this year because we are all really well conditioned and ready to go every game,” Telles said. “We have a good knowledge of the game and we all work well together.”
Telles is the team’s driver, meaning that in addition to her extensive swimming duties, she has the job of firing shots at the goal from the perimeter areas or feeding balls into Buzzetta, whose high-profile two-meter hole position is similar to that of a center on a basketball team.
When Buzzetta gets a pass from Telles or any other field player on the Baler team she can either take the shot from close range or push it back out to a field player, which is often the case since she is constantly mauled by the opposition’s defense under the water.
“There’s a lot of kicking and pinching going on under there,” said Buzzetta, who still enjoys playing the challenging two-meter position on both offense and defense. “There’s a lot of contact but I like it. The refs can’t see what happens under the water. It’s hard.”
Despite the position’s demands, Buzzetta manages to win the battles up front more often than not. This year she has a league-leading 59 goals. She also enjoys the fact that she is a “part of almost every play” and is relyied on so heaviliy by her teammates.
“Katie just sees the pool really well,” Telles said. “If she doesn’t take the shot, she looks around and finds the open player.”
Most of the time that player is Telles, whose 39 goals this season trail only Buzzetta’s league-leading total.
“I look for Jayme a little bit more than everyone else,” Buzzetta said. “She has a good hard shot. When she gets it, I know she can put it in.”
Buzzetta also leads the team in steals with 49 – a number that is just one ahead of Telles.
“They have the most experience of anyone on the team,” said Sutton of her two standout players, who both started playing the sport when they were in the seventh grade. “Katie has excellent ball handling skills. I always depend on her to come up with the shot. Jayme anticipates everything really well. She’s a smart player.”
While much of the credit for the Balers success in the pool this year can be attributed to the play of Telles and Buzzetta, both players are quick to point out that the chemistry of the entire team is really the deciding factor for success.
“Everyone is good friends out of the pool too. I think that helps a lot,” Buzzetta said.
It’s all going to help, and be needed if the Balers make it into the postseason.
“If we get in CCS, it will be tough. We’ll definitely need our ‘A’ game to do well in that tournament.”
At least the Balers will have solace in knowing that they have two players who bring their ‘A’ game every time they jump into the pool.
