A look at what water polo fans can expect from SBHS this
year
They have speed at every position, depth, and the most potential
of any varsity water polo team that Tom Agan has ever coached in
his 16 years at the helm of the San Benito High boys program.
On top of that Agan enters the season in a remolded league that
no longer includes perennial powerhouse Live Oak
– a team that had won 18 of the last 20 league
championships.
A look at what water polo fans can expect from SBHS this year
They have speed at every position, depth, and the most potential of any varsity water polo team that Tom Agan has ever coached in his 16 years at the helm of the San Benito High boys program.
On top of that Agan enters the season in a remolded league that no longer includes perennial powerhouse Live Oak – a team that had won 18 of the last 20 league championships.
“We’re looking OK right now. Time will tell but we definitely have a lot of talent,” Agan said.
The Balers will put that talent to the test on Saturday morning at 7: 30 a.m. when they play host to Evergreen High School in the first round of the eight-team San Benito High Monterey Bay Invitational – a tournament which includes a number of strong schools like Leland, Salinas and Mount Pleasant.
“I’d say that us and Salinas would probably be the favorites to win that tournament,” Agan said. “This year we’ve got nine or 10 guys who can play and they are all solid all-around.”
One example of the team’s depth this season is at the goalie position where Matt Thorpe and John Kaplanis are expected to share playing time.
According to Agan, they are both equally effective at the high-profile position.
“Matt gives us everything. He starts the offense by getting the ball down the pool and he can block a lot of shots. He’s a team leader. But both players are nip-and-tuck. I’m not hurting myself by putting either one of them in there. John is solid and does a great job too.”
Throughout the rest of the roster the Balers are stacked with speed swimmers at every position – players that also excel on the school’s swim team.
Three of those players are driver Blaine Curtis, Dave Smith and James Shafer. Shafer and Smith are expected to see the bulk of their playing time at the demanding two-meter-hole position because of their tenacity in the water, speed and prowess for scoring.
The added speed throughout the roster this year will also allow the Balers to take advantage of the new international game rules that all high school teams will follow this season.
One of them is that there is no longer a four-meter line, meaning that in past years if there was a penalty shot it had to be taken from four meters out. This year a five-meter area will be enforced.
“That definitely opens up the outside shot,” Agan said. “The shot clock this year also is five seconds less, down from 35 to 30. It’s going to become more of a scoring game now, and you better get down the pool a lot more quickly.”
Another change to the rules this year is that if an offensive shot is blocked by the defense and is deflected out of the pool it goes to the defense, the exact opposite of previous years.
“There’s going to be a lot more turnovers now,” Agan said. “That’s why we’ve been emphasizing different part of the game this year. We’ve been practicing our outside shots a lot more and swimming a lot more.”
As is the case every year, Agan would like to see his squad “go as far as they possibly can, get to CCS (Central Coast Section playoffs) and make it all the way to the finals.”
“This is one of those rare years where we really have the talent to do it,” he said.
So far Agan’s biggest question mark is team chemistry.
“Talent wise, we are as good as any team we have ever had, if not better,” he said. “In terms of team personality, that is what is going to make all the difference whether or not we are going to be able to put the whole package together.”
If the Balers win their first game of Saturday’s tournament, they would then play their next game at 1:30 p.m. A win in that game would place them in the tournament’s finals at 6:30 p.m.
