On Thursday, October 10, the Archie Williams boys varsity water polo team met their rivals, the Redwood High School Giants at the Falcons’ home pool. The Falcons gave it their all against the Giants and came out of the pool victorious with a score of 12-9, boosting their Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) record to 14-1.
This highly anticipated game would determine first place in MCALs, and fans were on the edge of their seats as the game began. The first quarter started with the Falcons on offense, launching passes across the pool. After just two minutes of play, the Falcons took a 1-0 lead over the Giants. Deeper into the quarter, the teams exchanged kicks and jabs, earning many fouls.
The Falcons gained possession of the ball again, taking another three shots on goal and converting on two of them in a span of two minutes, upping the score to 3-0. Another point by the Falcons brought the score up once more. Desperate to regain control, the Giants clashed against the Falcons, one even throwing hands, earning a foul.
The Giants made their first goal seven minutes into the game, bringing the score to 4-1. Nearing the end of the first quarter, both teams exchanged fouls, playing with high aggression. Archie Wiliams senior Vincent Krilanovich scored a goal for his team, making a helicopter backhand shot into the goal to end the first quarter score 8-3.
The second quarter started with the Giants on offense, both making and missing goals, as the two teams bounced the ball back and forth. The Falcons called a timeout, re-grouping to talk strategy as the score reached 8-4.
“We came out hot, and then the second quarter rolled around, and we kind of fell apart. The emotions of the game got to us, but we secured the win,” Vincent said.
The third quarter began with a foul on the Falcons, giving the Giants an opportunity to score. The Falcons quickly regained possession, scoring another point and raising the score to 9-4. Archie Williams senior Jacob Carrera believes the team’s chemistry both in and out of the pool played an important role in the Falcons’ success.
“We condition every day, and we all go through it together, and so I think that our chemistry has definitely gotten better as the season’s gone on,” Jacob said.
The game continued on, with numerous players on both teams receiving foul calls from underwater hits, slowing the game down with timeouts. The third quarter ended 11-7, with the Falcons in the lead after giving it their all in the pool. The fourth and final quarter began almost an hour into the game, the Falcons starting with possessions. Both teams added to their scores, ending the game 12-9, with the Falcons taking another win.
Despite the victory, Archie Williams boys varsity water polo head coach Steve Carrera highlights the Falcons’ room for improvement.
“We turned [the ball] over a lot. We threw the ball to the other team way too much. So I’d like to clean that up a little bit more, but other than that we did good,” Carrera said.
This game added to the Falcons’ winning streak, putting them a game ahead of Redwood. The Falcons’ next game takes place Oct. 14 at 4 p.m. against the Novato High School Hornets for another league matchup in their home pool.
