The Arcadia High School (AHS) Girls Varsity Water Polo team played their first league game of the season against Burbank High School (BHS) on Dec. 10. The Apaches commenced with a great start with their victory 18-9. The game, which was held at the AHS home pool, showcased the students’ determination and teamwork from both teams. 

“The first game of the league is always a little nerve-wracking, but our team played well together,” said senior set and set defender Olivia Ocampo. “Coach [Janice Clark]] knows how to get us to work well together and with the help of [senior] Jaden [Joemtree] we made adjustments that helped us grow as individual players and as a team.”

AHS started strong, scoring six points in the first quarter, while BHS scored one point. Throughout the game, AHS was a tough opponent and challenged BHS, and ending the second quarter the score was 11-4. 

“[AHS] had better speed and better depth on offense, but the pivotal part of the game was our excellent defense.  We held [BHS] to taking a total of only 13 shot attempts for the game,” said Coach Clark. “A number of times, we ran out of their shot clock and were able to take possession and score on the counterattack, and that was a key point for us in winning the game.” 

By the third quarter, AHS had the upper hand, and the results looked in their favor. Freshman set defender Zoey Luc made two goals, helping AHS get ahead. The Apaches took advantage of their shooters from the outside and made plays from the set that resulted in their victory. BHS did their part, and senior set defender Melanie Hayrapetian scored eight goals for their team. 

“Since I’m a freshman, this was my first ever league game. I was super nervous at the beginning, but later on, it became fun. Our team chemistry has come far since the start of the season” said Luc. “It wasn’t as nerve-racking as I thought it would be.”

The win boosted the AHS Girls Varsity Water Polo team’s record to first in the Pacific League while BHS dropped to fourth. AHS played against John Burroughs High School (JBHS) on Dec.12, while BHS looked to rebound against Hoover High School (HHS) in their last game. 

“My favorite part of the game was the fact that everyone got a chance to play. We all worked well together and made some great plays,” said senior wing Sophie Choi. “It felt great to win because this was our first league game, which put us up to a great start. I hope we can continue to win the rest of our league games and eventually become the champions!”