Bear Polo Preps for Title Defense at Interschols

Brooks and Avery Reavill ’12 were the two best field players in the league: two huge, lightning-quick, identical machines in the water – one left-handed and one right-handed. When they captained the Bear Polo team to a disappointing first-round knockout in the 2011 Interschols, people thought that Exeter’s championship window had closed.How wrong they were.Max Drach ’13 was by far the most talented goalie in New England. Once again, it looked like Big Red's championship would surely be a one-off. Without his impregnable presence in the cage, people assumed that Bear Polo would struggle to remain near the top of an increasingly competitive league.How wrong they were.Led by senior co-captains Nick duPont, JB Baker and Joe Shepley, Big Red has compiled an impressive 11-5 record, with only one loss actually coming in-league: an 8-9 overtime loss at Deerfield.The team is built around the three seniors, with duPont dictating the tempo at point, Baker supplying the majority of the goals in hole and Shepley playing a key role as driver and out on the wing as well as on sprints to start quarters.Boasting a strong backbone and an abnormally deep bench, Bear Polo looks well positioned to go all the way. They will begin their title defense at 11:30 AM at the Roger A. Nekton Championship Pool.The boys will enter the tournament as the #3 seed, and their first matchup will be against Deerfield, the #2 seed. Having already lost to Big Green once, the team is eagerly anticipating the rematch.“We lost to them earlier this season, and they knocked us out two years ago when we thought we were going to win it all,” Baker said. “It’s personal.”Shepley added, “We had to travel [to Deerfield] the first time, and we played a really close game. Now that they have to come to us, I think that will tip the scales.”If Bear Polo beats Deerfield, they will face either #1 Brunswick or #4 Andover in the final.The team will be familiar with both of their potential opponents in the championship game. Just over a week ago, the boys beat down Big Blue at home, 10-3, and they triumphed 9-7 at Andover to open the season. On the other hand, the boys fell to Brunswick 5-7 at a tournament at Williston Northampton.It is important to note, however, that Exeter was without the services of both Shepley and Baker, who were on college visits.“I don’t see why we can’t beat them, now that Joe and I will be back in the pool,” Baker said, “but it’s important to focus on Deerfield first.”Year after year, Bear Polo silences their critics and manages to replace what seems at first to be glaring holes in their lineup. So here they are again, ready to defend their championship in their own pool. Anyone willing to bet against them now?