Blame it on the pump.
A malfunctioning new pump at the Gilroy High pool has forced the
Mustangs’ boys water polo team away from its home
– first for the preseason and now for start of the regular
season.
Blame it on the pump.
A malfunctioning new pump at the Gilroy High pool has forced the Mustangs’ boys water polo team away from its home – first for the preseason and now for start of the regular season.
After two weeks of limited practices, the team will begin its season this afternoon at Hollister, a game that was originally supposed to be at home.
“Honestly, I’m not sure we’re ready to play our first game,” head coach Tom Clark said.
Forced to hold preseason practice at South Valley Junior High, the varsity squad has shared the pool with both the junior varsity team and the Gilroy Gators swim club.
With two teams practicing at once, the Mustangs have been unable to simulate game situations and work on their transition game in an entire pool.
“That worries me, because one of our positives is that we’re always a well-conditioned group,” Clark said.
“The guys will definitely be fired up and anxious to get started. But honestly, I think we’re behind where we were at this point last year.”
Ready or not, though, to Hollister they go.
And as far as the players are concerned, they go with high hopes.
“We really started to turn it on toward the end of last year and I think we’ll continue that,” senior Lee Walton said. “We have a lot of returning seniors.”
Indeed, out of the 13 players on varsity, 10 are seniors – all 10 of which will be entering their fourth year in the program.
And while one sophomore and two juniors are on the varsity roster, it’s likely all seven starters will be seniors, including goalie Nick VanWinkle.
“On paper,” Clark said, “we should be a much better team.”
Since the group of 10 began three years ago, there’s no simply no question Gilroy is a much better program.
“Oh yeah,” senior Maciel Santiago said. “We’ve improved immensely.”
Clark, now in his seventh season as head coach, said the group of seniors has “gotten more aggressive year after year.”
“They’re more physical,” he added. “As sophomores, they were very intimidated.
“Not anymore. Now they go into the pool saying, ‘We’re gonna beat them.'”
Last year, the group finished fifth at TCALs and posted its first winning season (14-10).
But the Mustang seniors, many of whom have known each since elementary school, have higher goals for their final go-around.
“We all really want to go to CCS – that’s what we’ve been talking about since our freshman year,” Walton said.
“We want to be the first Gilroy water polo team to make it there.”
