Water polo teams wrap up seasons, look to the future

Boys fall to Carlmont 13–9 in season finale

Last year, the boys varsity water polo team looked to improve their skills by introducing a year-round program to match other schools in the Bay Division. The team also hoped to create a more solid foundation for future Dons. In year two of the plan, the 2013 season also brought along many other changes, such as a new head coach, Randy Kalbus, and new members to fill the roster gaps left by last year’s seniors.

After sustaining a 1–9 record during the regular season, the team played against Carlmont on Wednesday, Nov. 6 in their final game away from home. Unfortunately, inopportune turnovers near the end and an inability to find a rhythm in the second half led to a 13-9 defeat.

Junior Logen Thornton says, “We tend to have medium-fast swimmers on our team, so we know we won’t really be ever out-swimming a team in our division, but we do hard work on pressing hard on defense and waiting out the enemy until they make a bad shot or the ball is stolen. But our main goal is to get good quick shots off on offense, return to defense, and force them to make mistakes and do it again.”

This year’s team features a rather small lineup consisting of only nine players in total, four of whom are seniors. However, the team tries to not let it affect them and instead attempts to take the smaller group and develop a tighter focus during games and practices.

Junior Andros Petrakis says, “We practice a lot on shooting. I feel like if we had a full 12 [players], we would be able to expand that to half court scrimmaging, to work on offense with defense. We don’t have a full two teams for practice, which limits our capability.”

Meanwhile, practice serves as a perfect time to address the team’s problems. Early 6 a.m. practices have the players awake and at school well before most of the student body, and even earlier than some faculty members. Junior Nathan Ruttenberg adds, “During practices, we ran many drills working on ball handling and shots. Many of these drills were difficult and took lots of control.”

Overall, despite a tumultuous season, the team still retains a determined mindset and a strong mentality all while keeping their spirits high.

Nonetheless, the team still has high hopes and has seen steady improvement in recent years. Next year, the team will look to make the Central Coast Section (CCS) Tournament. Petrakis adds, “The game is definitely overlooked. Water polo is sort of the underdog sport. It has a taboo and it’s also one of the most physically tiring.”

Girls Water Polo looks to improve

Despite finishing the season with a 0–10 record and sixth rank in the Bay Division, the girls varsity water polo team continues to look toward the future. This season, the team faced several changes involving both the team roster and their strategy.

“We always try to go into games not necessarily thinking about winning, but about having fun and utilizing the skills and plays that we practice. Our confidence and strength bounce off one another. Typically when we are all motivated, we succeed the most,” says senior Daniella Kotowitz.

On Nov. 5, the team played its final match of the season away from home against Bay Division rival Carlmont. Throughout the first and second quarter, Aragon came out of the gate slowly, as Carlmont was able to use turnovers and speed to its advantage, extending its lead and not looking back for a majority of the first half. However, after halftime, Aragon went on a run, even scoring five goals in the last quarter, including a goal by senior Paige San Felipe just as the final buzzer went off. In a game that ended 11–7 in favor of Carlmont, the Lady Dons still remain positive.

Junior Eve McNally adds, “We won in spirit because in the last two minutes, we put all our seniors in, and we made five goals. It was their last game of the season, so we were all very spirited.”

Thanks to the new Aragon Video Production Club, the entire school now has access to a live stream of the games at aragonvideo.com. Junior Olivia Cosca says, “I love the fact that Aragon has been live broadcasting games. It’s a good feeling knowing that people are putting in effort to show the other students how tough the game of water polo really is. Not a lot of people appreciate the game, but the fact that they’re taking time to film it and commentate on it is always a special feeling.”

With eight of the 13 players on varsity graduating next year, the team will continue to rebuild next season, hoping that they can learn from their mistakes this season and strive towards a better record.