Just as the new school year begins, Aliso Niguel’s Boys Waterpolo are too, and they are aiming to win league and place in CIF. They are currently 12-4 on the season with a win in their only league game so far. ANHS Boys Waterpolo is ranked 27 in California and 40 in the nation.
The boys preseason started off early, with practice over summer break to prepare for the regular season. They held practices Monday through Thursday from 7 to 9 a.m. with games running every Tuesday and Thursday.
Like any other year, the boys led by Coach Puffer are competing in the South Coast League against Beckman and San Juan Hills High School. They are also competing in the Southern Section Division 3 against Irvine and Yorba Linda.
So far, just two weeks into their season, the boys have won three out of their four games. Their most recent win was against Portola High School.
Tuesday August 28, the Aliso boys faced off at Portola’s pool, a matchup the boys had lost the year prior.
Tyler Bird (12) comments, “This year we have a solid team so I know we’ll be able to turn the tide compared to last year.”
The game starts off hot with both teams scoring multiple goals. By halftime, Aliso is in the lead with Portola trailing right behind. As the match continues to stay close, the score is ten to nine in favor of Aliso. With less than a minute left, a shot hit Aliso’s net. The game was then tied ten-all.
Overtime started and the shoot off began. Multiple shots were blocked by both Aliso and Portola; Kris Djippov (10) shot it into the top corner and won the game for Aliso. The game ended 11-10, Aliso getting their win against Portola.
Their first non-league game of the season was on Aug. 19 against Mission Viejo who Aliso has always had a good track record against. They easily beat Mission by six points, the game ending 16 to 10.
Their second non-league game was against Tesoro, Aliso’s first blowout game of the season. The boys had gotten a 13 game lead towards the end of the game, finishing off at 20 points to seven.
Finally on Aug. 26, Aliso played another non-league game against Laguna Beach, a team known for being strong at Waterpolo. Laguna Beach ended with the 17-9 victory, breaking the winning streak from the start of season.
Sammy Zeitawi (12) says, “The game was so close, I thought we could actually score a couple more and take the win. Unfortunately Laguna showed why they’re so dominant and crushed us”.
Since then, the Wolverines have won 10 more games and have only lost three. The victories included a league game against Capistrano Valley High School on Sept. 9, where they won with a close 13-11 score.
