Boys’ Water Polo Bests Hopkins and Williston
By JAKE CREELAN, ROHIT KANTAMNENI, HARRY WALKER, LEO ZHANG
On Sept. 24, the Academy’s varsity boys’ water polo team traveled to Williston Northampton for a doubleheader. They battled both Williston North Hampton (WNH) and Hopkins Academy, pulling out wins in both of their matches. The team started their season off 2-0 with wins against Suffield Academy and Phillips Andover.
Going into the doubleheader, spirits were running high. Even after a long trip to Williston Northampton, there was no effect on the team’s morale. “The atmosphere, for Hopkins especially, was very anticipatory. They had beaten us twice last year in some close scoring games and all of us returning players wanted revenge,” upper Will Reed said.
“Going into the two games, we were feeling confident and motivated. After seeing the two teams play each other via livestream, we felt comfortable in the fact that we could take home the win against both of them,” prep Jack Cassidy said.
A combination of high spirits and skillful play allowed the team to take home a 14-6 win in the first game against Hopkins. “Our Hopkins final score was 14-6 which definitely reflected our drive to win. We played intensely, and our defense was very solid,” Reed said.
“We gave 110% and did a great job,” upper Alex Rosen commented.
However, the first game had exhausted the players as they were going into the next matchup against WNH right after. Rosen reflected, “[During] the second game, however, we got complacent, or maybe just a little cocky. That was a much closer game. After the game, I felt a weird mixture of relief and disappointment in myself. I feel like I could’ve played better but I am overall happy with how I, and everyone else, did.”
Cassidy described the challenges of the second game. “In the game against Williston, we truly had to push past a mental barrier of not only pain/discomfort, but also frustration.” Even with the many physical and mental barriers, Big Red managed to stay on top and pull out a close 7-6 win.
The major highlight of the Williston match was Rosen’s last minute save to stop the draw. “We were up by one, 7-6 with only 15 seconds left. We got the ball and called a time-out to set up and reset the shot clock. All we had to do was keep the ball.” Rosen explained. “I took a foul but he kept pushing me into the corner… he pushed me out of bounds and they got the ball. They, of course, called a timeout and set up. Meanwhile, their bench was cheering like crazy. I felt like I had just cost us the game. We set up and their goalie got the ball. He started walking it in. With three seconds left, he wound up...two seconds, got on his legs...1 second left and shot, only to be blocked by me. It was a crazy feeling of relief but also fear.”
After sweeping the doubleheader, the team is proud of their undefeated record. “Obviously you can’t be mad at a 4-0 record,” Cassidy said. Team expectations for the rest of the season are optimistic, but also humble. “As Coach Mills pointed out to us, we can’t get complacent, and we are conditioning more than ever to get ready for the teams ahead, as well as for the Cardinal Cup,” Cassidy continued.
“I am very optimistic for the rest of our season; we have a great squad. I wouldn’t be surprised to see us competing for the championship,” Reed said.
