The Prep boys water polo team has had a strong start to the season. Their record so far is 6-2, with victories against Burbank, Pacifica, Agoura, Glendale, Pasadena, and Brentwood. Regarding the season, sophomore captain Will Fosselman says, “Even though the season is only a couple weeks in, we are already a more powerful, intelligent, and connected team than we were last year.” Last year, the Rebels graduated four seniors, and this year they are excited about their promising up and comers, such as freshman standout Noah Corral ‘23 and sophomore goalie Dylan Mealey ‘22. Head Coach Andrew Phillips said, “The team has to step forward and progress. The ability has always been there, but they’re fatigued and trying to recuperate [this week].”

Over the past week, the team played San Marino, La Canada, and their first league opponent, Chadwick, ultimately going 1-2 for the week. Fosselman expanded, “We went from playing as a fluid oiled machine when we got second in the Malibu tournament [Saturday, September 14], but this week we didn’t have that same chemistry as we did this weekend.” 

They lost to San Marino 11-6, behind a strong 4 goal performance from senior captain Hakop Kaplanyan ‘20 and 2 goals from Corral.

Their rebound came on Thursday against La Canada, with a close 13-10 win. Sophomore captain Will Fosselman ‘22 led the team with 6 goals, Diego Barraclough ‘22 and Kaplanyan ‘20 had two goals apiece, and Matthew Gamboa ‘21, Corral, and David Egan ‘20 rounded out the scoring with one goal each. Kaplanyan said, “We had a slow start going into the first quarter but once our team chemistry clicked we were able to convert on offense and lock down on defense. We began to work together and play as a team which led us to victory in a close-fought battle.”

 On Friday, September 20, the boys water polo team faced off against their league opponent Chadwick. They faced a rough patch in this game, only scoring 4 goals in total. 2 by Fosselman and 1 apiece by Corral and Gamboa. Phillips says, “We’re excited for a new week and we’re keeping our heads high.” They look to bounce back this week with games against Brentwood and Arcadia.