Written By: Delaney Cordes, Staff Writer, and Olivia McPherson, Staff Writer in Training
SPORTS: Poly’s Boys Water Polo Team dives into another season.
As the 2024-25 school year kicks off, Poly’s fall sports are already underway: Volleyball, Cross Country, and Girls Tennis are already steadily ramping up. Among those, the Boys Water Polo team is already a couple of games deep into their season. Unfortunately, for Poly fans, their games are almost exclusively away. This has the players busy with practice and thinking about the best tactics to reach their goals for the season.
After last year’s winning streak, ending in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Quarterfinals, the Bears have high hopes for a similar outcome this season. As one of the two Water Polo captains, Kingston Moss (10) is diving head first into preparing the team for a better chance at success. By helping his teammates “[get] better every day in practice” and providing support during “all the games,” Kingston is sure that results will follow. After the turnout of last year and the major recognition that the Boys Water Polo gained, the senior Varsity Goalie, Jackson Penunuri (12), is most interested in “seeing how [their] overall team will do,” and the accomplishments they will reach compared to those of last season.
Along with the Captain, the Boys Water Polo Coach of 37 years, Coach Grisham, knows how to guide best and push the players towards the greatest possible success. The success comes from daily preparation and “simulating activity that is done in a game,” along with “team bonding while [they’re] stretching.” Having had his fair share of winning and losing seasons, this year specifically he is focusing on the mental aspect of Water Polo. Also, he relies on the athletes and their ability to do well in school. They must show accomplishment both in the water and on campus through their academic classes.
So far, after playing three hard-fought matches, they’ve won one of the three. A 14-7 winning score against King took them by surprise, but unfortunately, they were defeated 9-6 by Los Osos High School and 12-10 against Yucaipa High School. Their losses have been close to the end, but there is plenty of room to improve. This is just the beginning of the season, so the Bears are keeping their heads up and working hard! Go Bears!