by Caleb Wiley

The 2017 water polo season was a tough season to say the least. Finishing up with an overall record of 11-13 and going winless in league, along with a no-show in CIF, the season was somewhat disappointing. The team faced a lot of obstacles but nonetheless fought through and played with their best effort in every game. 

The 11-13 record along with no wins in league was not completely shocking: “Sure, the outcome is not what we hoped for, but there were many factors to having that record,” said Varsity head coach Jeff Powers. The team had injuries and a lack of experience that ultimately factored in the outcome of the team’s record.

“With only two returning seniors on the team, we really missed the leadership and experience out there late in the season,” said Coach Powers. Leadership is really a necessity in team sports such as water polo. Senior captain Gabe Chaine really helped the underclassmen learn and grow in the sport. Unfortunately, Gabe suffered an injury in the middle of the season: “We had our best defender Gabe Chaine out for a while and we really struggled during that time,” said junior captain Pat Burke. With only two seniors on the team, it was easy to observe that without Chaine, water polo did not have the benefit of more leadership and experience. Burke says, “We really came together despite all the obstacles and showed perseverance while Gabe was out.”

Senior Gabe Chaine says that he has no regrets and enjoyed the time he got to play during the season. “I had fun this season…a little sadness does come to me knowing that this is my last year (at Bosco) and we didn’t make a big CIF run.” His last year was not what he hoped for but he is satisfied with what he left at Bosco, especially knowing that the team next is due to have a solid season.

The 2018 season is looking more promising than this year, with everybody returning but two players. The team will have the needed experience that was sorely missed this year. Coach Powers explains, “This was definitely a learning season for next year for the returning players which is basically our whole team.” He goes on and adds, “The players next year will now know what is needed to compete in this league.” The Trinity league is one of the best leagues in the nation and Coach Powers feels confident about his player’s abilities to compete in this league.

This means that the current juniors and sophomores will have more important roles and make a bigger impact than they did this year. The 2017 season was not a complete disappointment, because this season really prepared the returning players. The team can now reflect and learn from the mistakes they made this year and correct them for the better. Therefore the team is optimistic about next year and there chances to win league and ultimately make a big CIF run in the 2018 season.