This year’s boys varsity water polo has started the fall season on a good note with a record of 9-7. The team is in a tough division this year, but according to Coach Ed Samuels, they still have a chance to win their league.

“It is hard to appreciate [our record],” Samuels said. “But we are playing in very high-end tournaments.”

At the Roche tournament on September 12, the team was the first public school to beat Bellarmine in 14 years. They had a commanding lead throughout the game and the team was overjoyed with their victory, a final score of 10-9.

“We all played our best, and it was a beautiful team effort,” senior Elliot Samuels said.

The team’s success in an outcome of hard work.They practice six days a week, with two-and-a-half hour practices on school days and four straight hours on Saturdays.

“All the work we put in has made us a better team,” junior Neal Winterbotham said. “The knowledge we have about the game is far superior to any other team in CCS. We have an unstoppable offense and a cohesive unit on defense.”

According to senior Alex Treiger, the team has made a lot of improvements and is much stronger than last year.

At the Saint Francis tournament on September 30, the team played a close match against Palo Alto, going into double overtime and losing in the last minute of the game.

“Our goal for the season is to beat Palo Alto and win our league,” new Assistant Coach Peter Davis said.

Davis played at Palo Alto High School for two years and went on to play for the Junior National Team. He is now contributing his wealth of experience to the Los Altos team, and his enthusiasm for coaching has helped the team improve.

Many players on the team describe Davis in one word: “legit.”

“[Peter Davis] is a great water polo player, and all of us on the team look up to him,” sophomore James Christiansen-Salameh said.

Davis is really enjoying his experience of coaching water polo at the school.

“I love it,” Davis said. “The guys are great and are really receptive to coaching.”

The team is also looking forward to an additional player, sophomore Alex Bailey. He is ineligible to play until the end of the quarter due to unmet requirements, but according to Coach Samuels, the team will improve significantly with his help.

“It is a very talented group of boys, and they have a lot of potential,” Samuels said.

The team is working hard, but the players still enjoy working with each other and playing the sport. They get along really well and it shows.

“We have great chemistry,” Elliot said. “It’s like one big family.”