Over the last two years, the boys varsity water polo team has been very successful, coming first in the Channel League back to back in 2021 and 2022. This year, they aren’t doing so well, so what changed? Shane Davis, one of the two juniors on the team, spoke with me about what is going on and what we can expect in the future for the team.

Shane Davis and Jack Drown are the two oldest players on the team, both being juniors, and have been on the team since their freshman year. Most of the team is made up of sophomores and a few freshmen. Shane explained that in the past years, there have been many more juniors and seniors as well as more experienced players compared to the current team. Two years ago, the varsity team had six seniors and one of the best goalies in the state, Wyatt Pieretti, who helped them have an incredible season. And once they left they made room for new players and new captains.

This year, there are many new players as well as a new JV coach named Arjay Goligoski. On the varsity team, the coach has remained the same for 30 years: Coach Mark Walsh. As for the games that went well, Davis said, “What went right was we worked together as a team rather than individually and scored as a team rather than one-on-one offense. Our defensive communication was great as well”. He also believes that next year the team should be able to do better, mainly because no one will be graduating and their team will be more experienced. Someone to look out for is sophomore Lorenzo Russel. Next year will be his third year on the team so hopefully he can help lead the team next year. Shane says he believes this season is a building year for next year, where they can really see where they can improve for next season.

Coach Mark Strategizing [Image Credit: Shane Davis]