The AHS’ Boys Varsity Water Polo team faced off with Burroughs High School on Oct. 10. Burroughs’ Boys Varsity Water Polo team has always been tough competition for the Apaches, and this game was no different, ending with a score of 11-12

In the first quarter, despite several attempts by the Apaches to score, opposing defenders kept our players from getting close to the goal, and the subsequent shots from far away went wide. Burroughs managed to score three times within six minutes. In the last minute of the quarter, the Apaches managed to break through Burroughs’ formation, and senior Christian Lowe got a shot in, leaving the score at 1-3.
Although they fell behind at first, the Apaches quickly pulled themselves together and upped their aggression. Tensions were high as players raced back and forth between the two sides of the pool, furiously stealing and passing the ball among themselves. The Apache goalie, Chris Harrison, made some impressive blocks against fierce rollback shots. With outstanding teamwork and skill, by the end of the quarter, the Apaches had evened the score to 5-5.

As the game continued, AHS began to surpass Burroughs, but in the fourth quarter, an AHS defender committed a foul, resulting in Burroughs taking (and scoring) a five-meter penalty shot. As a result, the fourth quarter finished at a tie, 10-10, bringing the game into two three-minute overtime quarters.
Both sides made fierce struggles to pull fouls and wrestle the ball away from opposing players. Unfortunately, the Apaches only scored one more time while Burroughs scored twice, leaving the final score as 11-12, Arcadia’s loss.

AHS’ Boys Varsity Water Polo players were a little disgruntled at the end result. “[The game] was dirty, it was tough, and I feel like my nose was broken,” remarked sophomore Alex Kelkelian. However, the players were not discouraged as they played a great game and tried their best to overcome their opponents. “In many respects, this was a big improvement for us,” said the Boys Varsity Water Polo coach Janice Clark. “While the boys were in the season playing tournaments, we weren’t able to match up to the stronger teams without falling apart; today, we kept fighting to the end. Even though it didn’t finish the way we hoped, looking to the future, it’s very likely we will play Burroughs again in the League Playoffs. In the meantime, we’ll be working to improve so we’ll be ready.” She added that she would be focusing on improving performance under pressure and passing technique with the boys.

As there is still plenty of the season remaining, the Apaches have plenty of opportunities to solidify their teamwork and skills. Hopefully, from here on out, they will take home many wins in both League and tournaments.