Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of prep previews the Dispatch will be running leading up to the start of the season. We will focus on a different sport and team each week.
Gilroy
Water polo is a sport that most don’t come into contact with until high school. Learning the rules of the game and how to play it can be difficult, but imagine having to do all that and coach the sport, too. That was the task bestowed upon Gilroy High’s Fred Latimore last season as the boys coach.
“There’s a big learning curve in this sport and nobody knows it better than me,” Latimore said. “I was a first year coach last year and I didn’t play the sport — I played football, basketball and baseball in high school. The reality is with sports in general, once you learn the fundamentals, the discipline, the expectations is a part of any sport that you play.”
With the help of team leaders Abby Kienle and Samuel Mandel, Latimore believes he will have a seamless season as he takes on the task of coaching the boys and girls.
Kienle and Mandel have opposing styles of leadership, but are able to successfully help their respective teams. On one hand you have Kienle, the boisterous, aggressive player who knows how to rally her teammates. On the other hand there’s Mandel, the quiet, ever thinking player who, despite still learning the game himself, demonstrates solid technique and skill.
“When I’ve got folks like Sam and Abby that I can call on to lead by example, it makes my job easier by not having to get on people,” Latimore said. “I set my expectations at the beginning and I hope that my players, the majority of them, are exuding what I’m trying to do. Those are the ones that are coaching each other up and helping each other out. These two definitely personify that.”
As upperclassmen, Kienle and Mandel have embraced the chance to help teach new players the game. Kienle, a senior, took up the game as a freshman as way to get in shape for basketball season. Mandel, who is a junior this year, started playing water polo when he transferred from GECA last year. The memory of trying to learn and understand the game is still fresh for the duo and this helps them relate to the challenges new teammates are experiencing.
“I think it’s one of the toughest sports out of all the sports I’ve played, especially with the conditioning,” Kienle said. “(I’m trying) to help my teammates get ready for that: being in the water for an hour and having to tread, not touching the bottom while battling people.”
The girls finished 2-11 last season, while the boys were 4-8 and both teams are looking improve on that this year. With a core of returners on both squads and strategies in place, the confidence at Gilroy is high.
“Our goal is to work our hardest and try and win as many games as possible,” Mandel said. “We did alright last season, but we want to try and shut down a couple teams this season. My strategy is to just keep moving. If I’m not moving, nobody else is going to. I’m just making sure everyone is moving all time so we can get passes off, otherwise no one would be open.”
For Latimore, however, winning isn’t everything. The second year coach doesn’t base a successful season on the numbers in the wins and losses column, but instead on what he and his players will have learned this season.
“As far as this season goes, I’m expecting nothing less than to have a great time with these kids,” he said. “My expectation for them is that they have a great time too and that’s what I’m going to try and facilitate out here. Wins and losses, I’m going to be honest, really don’t matter to me. If I can make an impact on them, then I’ve done my job.”
Both the boys and girls open their seasons at Sept. 5 at Everett Alvarez. The boys play at 4 p.m. while the girls start at 5 p.m.
Christopher Cougars
Girls
Last year’s record: 11-5 overall
Returning starters: Shannon McAvoy, sr., driver; Natalie Garcia, jr., driver; Sabrina Seery, jr., defense/driver; Hannah Marquez, jr., utility
Key newcomers: Ashley Shuster, sr., defense; Ashley Irby, jr., utility; Vangie McNamara, jr., utility
Coach Jim Shuster’s comment: “Our goal is simple — win every game and make sure everyone plays. We are looking for our first MBL (Monterey Bay League) championship.”
Analysis: The Cougars pride themselves on their quick, stealthy defense. The team is comprised of veteran players who bring the talent and experience needed to capture the title this team so badly wants. Its problem, coach Shuster said, is confidence. His team has let scoring chances pass it by because they weren’t confident enough to put the ball in the net. The speed and experience of this squad will make it tough to beat. The Cougars just need to generate their own scoring chances to really give themselves a shot at a title.
Boys
Last year’s record: 5-10 overall
Returning starters: Jamie Walling, sr., defense; Brennon Wilson, sr., defense; Matthew Higginbotham, sr., driver; Brennan Laden, sr., driver
Key newcomers: No newcomers.
Coach Paul Well’s comment: “We want to be No. 1 in our division and to make it to CCS (Central Coast Section) as league champion. Our Super Bowl is the first game of the season against Palma. Palma is the benchmark for how we measure ourselves. That’ll tell us right away how good we are or how bad we are.”
Analysis: This Christopher team should look very familiar to the one you saw last year. The Cougars lost only three seniors to graduation and the core of their team has been playing together for at least three years. Christopher has a plethora of upperclassmen at its disposal — seven seniors and seven juniors to be exact. The continuityof this team is a huge asset for Christopher and it has to learn to utilaze it. The Cougars struggled with shooting the ball last year and that’s something they need to correct if they are serious about winning the league. Christopher is already solid on defense, in fact it’s the aspect that kept the team in most its games last season. If the team can kickstart its offense, it should be successful this season.
