GILROY—The boys water polo teams at Gilroy and Christopher High schools have spent the summer practicing. Now, the Garlic City boys are ready for action and they’ll kick off the competitive season with a game against one another.
The Cougars will travel to Gilroy and kick off the 2015 campaign at 5 p.m. Thursday. Christopher coach Paul Wells said his players are chomping at the bit to get in the pool and face their crosstown counterparts.
“They’re ready for a game,” he said. “They’re ready for the season; they’re tired of practicing.”
Over at Gilroy High, Jonathan Montano has taken the reins of the program. The new coach said he’s looking to bring consistency to a program that underwent several coaching changes in the last few years. He has his plate full coaching the girls too, but said he’s hoping to make a splash with both teams locally.
“I’m really excited to bring this team back into the community,” Montano said. “I’m really excited to start bringing more energy into the team this year and hopefully get them more acknowledged.”
Montano has brought a wealth of water polo knowledge with him to Gilroy High. Doug Pickford, who coached and played at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will assist him and help with the team’s conditioning. A swimmer since age 5, Pickford is helping the Mustangs adjust to being in the water for long periods of time and quickly transition from offense to defense.
The Cougars, on the other hand, plan on having a slew of fresh legs to hit the water at any point. Wells said the depth of his team is one of its strongest assets as it can do two full rotations and not skip a beat.
Christopher will also have eight to nine seniors at the helm this season, including Zach Gallardo, who earned First Team All-League honors last year, and Skylar Shimek. Russell Case, who plays 2-meter offense, will also be back and looks to build on his rookie season where he was named Freshman of the Year.
Also returning for the Cougars are Jackson Jenkins, Noah Vasquez, Max Deliz, Jesse Calderon, Jordan Jacinto and Chris Spohr.
Jimmy Dignan, Andrew Silva and Logan Sutters join the varsity team this year. Sutters is one of the few freshmen on the squad, but has a plethora of club water polo experience behind him.
Minh Ngyuen, who trained at a Nike water polo camp this summer and Adam Thompson, who will play goalie, will anchor the Mustangs’ squad this season. They’ll be joined by relative newbie Rey Franco, who Montano said has put in a “ton of work” getting ready for this season.
The Mustangs also have a slew of baseball players joining the team this year. Montano said they add good, strong arms to the team which will bolster the team’s scoring chances.
“I feel like the boys are going to be really, really motivated to take more shots this year,” the Mustangs coach said.
Wells said the Cougars have improved their shot taking, too. He said the squad has spent the summer working on passing and it’s paying off.
“These guys are deadly accurate,” Wells said. “They can throw (the ball) across the pool and not hit the water for 10 or 15 minutes.”
Both teams have high hopes for the season, but know it’ll be no easy feat to achieve them. Montano said he wants to help Gilroy improve from single-digits wins and believes he has the tools in place to do so.
“I think the team this season is going to change a lot, especially with (Pickford’s) drills and the way we’re both running the teams,” he said. “I’m really confident.”
The Cougars are hoping to “run the table” in the Monterey Bay League-Pacific Division but teams historically tough teams like Stevenson and San Benito stand in their way. Wells said he’s hoping the chemistry, talent and drive will make for a winning combination.
“It’s a very competitive league, it’s a fun league,” he said. “Anybody can rise up and smack you at any time.”
