The water polo program lost a lot to graduation last season, but
are looking to build through a team-first approach
No one ever said that team chemistry is overrated. Simply
believing in it is usually a requirement for any contending
team.
The water polo program lost a lot to graduation last season, but are looking to build through a team-first approach
No one ever said that team chemistry is overrated. Simply believing in it is usually a requirement for any contending team.
But the loss of the star player, or the leading scorer, or the valuable netminder, or even something as underrated as varsity experience, often forces prep teams to take a different approach from year-to-year, and often take a much harder look at the team, its chemistry and the unit as a whole.
The boys and girls water polo teams at San Benito High School are in similar situations this season, having lost quite a bit in terms of graduating seniors last year. The Baler boys, for instance, lost leading scorers Jordan Schafer and Ryan Whiteside, as well as all-league selection Kyle Reuther, arguably the top goalie in the Tri-County Athletic League, among others.
The Lady Balers were in no better position with departing seniors, though, losing leaders Ronnie Stern and Sarah Kelso, not to mention Kelsey Russell, who was San Benito’s leading scorer and one of the top players – if not the top player – in the TCAL.
Replacing key players doesn’t happen often; it just forces teams to rethink their approach.
“I think we’ll be strong, but in different ways than we were last year,” said JT Temperino, who will play keeper for the Lady Balers this year in a two-goalie system with teammate Katie Thorpe. “Last year, we had our main players that we knew were our strong points. This year, it’s a team effort.”
Lady Baler head coach Hayley Vandercook, though, said the loss of eight seniors from last year’s squad won’t have much of an effect on her current roster. With the exception of four returning varsity members, San Benito is a completely new team, Vandercook said, and will open the season with a different dynamic.
“We’re gonna try to run everyone through, keep everyone fresh and rotate throughout the game,” said Vandercook, who is in her second year at San Benito after leading the Lady Balers to a 15-11 overall record last season. “They’re definitely a lot closer and they’re much closer as a unit.”
Planning to conduct frequent team dinners throughout the season in order to become a family instead of just friends, Temperino said, the Lady Balers are said to be a lot faster this year as well, which the team is hoping will offset the loss of so many seniors.
“We have a lot of fast girls this year, so that has kind of evened out (the loss) of Kelsey Russell,” said Amanda Virak, a returning varsity member who will replace Stern at the whole set position this season. “A lot of the girls have been swimming all summer, so they’ve been building up the speed.”
Vandercook had similar sentiments, saying San Benito is 16-deep in terms of speed. Whether it has any affect on title-contending teams like Salinas and Stevenson remains to be seen, of course, but the second-year coach is seeking to build a foundation among her younger players in order to return to the top of the TCAL.
“We do have a lot of potential,” Vandercook said. “The elements are there, elements that weren’t there last year, so it could be exciting.”
San Benito will have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t after the Central Coast Showdown, a 32-team tournament scheduled for Sept. 4-5 in Clovis. The team’s potential, meanwhile, could be reflective of how they come together as a unit, similar to that of the Baler boys.
“We have a lot of new freshmen this year, so we’re gonna have to work really hard and do our best,” said junior Nick Angulo, a third-year varsity member, commenting on the 12 freshman that came out for the squad this season. “I don’t think we can replace (what we lost) because we had a lot of experience last year.
“But, hopefully, we can learn the fundamentals this year and next year we can work on the core stuff.”
Angulo is the team’s leading returner on offense along with Eric Nicolaysen, who is one of just three seniors on the team, while Josh Schafer also returns to a youthful varsity squad.
“No doubt, we lost a lot,” said Balers head coach Tom Agan, whose team compiled a 9-10 overall record last year. “We’ve got some good guys, but the level of (varsity) experience just isn’t there.
“[Angulo] and [Schafer] are gonna have to step up and be team leaders and set a good example for their teammates, being positive and supportive. It’s gonna come down to chemistry on the varsity squad, how much they can work together as a team and improve their individual skills.”
Certainly pleased with the sizable freshmen interest – the team normally gets about for or five freshmen to come out – Agan said the Balers began practice two weeks later than last season due to section requirements, a layoff that has only put more pressure on the shortened preseason.
“The guys are doing a good job in practice,” Agan said, “but we’ve got a lot to accomplish between now and the fifth of September.”
That is when San Benito will open with the Monterey Bay Invitational in Hollister, where teams from Carmel, Pioneer, Leland, San Lorenzo Valley, Salinas, Stevenson and Mount Pleasant are expected to be in attendance. It will be the first varsity action for some, including Josh McIntyre (“He’s gonna help us a lot,” Agan said) and Trevor Agan, who will look to fill the large shoes once worn by Kyle Reuther.
Having learned the ins and outs of the cage last year from Reuther, including angles, what to look for and how to talk, Agan said he feels pretty good going into this season as San Benito’s new netminder.
“The intensity level is up a little bit more and we can’t make a lot of mistakes,” he said. “I think we’re got a lot to learn. We basically have to start over and build our offense and defense back up.”
And San Benito has some time left before Gilroy visits for the TCAL opener on Sept. 10, and some time left before the real test on Sept. 15, when the Balers travel to Salinas.
“The future looks somewhat bright,” Tom Agan said. “We’ll do a lot of building this year and see what happens.”
