Selma High School’s Boys Water Polo team celebrated senior night on Monday, September 23rd. The tradition of senior night is regarded in American high schools and college sports as the last home game for players that won’t be returning for next season.
Prior to their senior night game, boys’ water polo head Coach Marcus Valdez commented on his athletes’ season so far.
“We’ve had a pretty good season so far,” he said . “We’ve had some pretty good games, competitive games.”
He notes that the team has gone against higher division schools, which offers room for growth and learning opportunities. Learning from losses and mistakes can make or break the future morale of a sports team.
“We’ve learned a lot from those games, win or lose,” Coach Marcus stated.
Joan Bolanos is a senior who has been a part of water polo for two years. He holds a similar sentiment about the season.
“The season has been great,” Bolanos commented. “The team and I have known each other for quite a while so we really have chemistry during a game.”
Another senior, Kingsley Acosta, would agree that the season started great, however there have been some challenges.
“We had a wonderful start to the season but towards senior night the team had a few obstacles we faced but this brought a newfound fire to the team.” Acosta adds.
Acosta began playing water polo in his sophomore year, this will be his third year playing the sport.
Against competition of any sort, a team effort to win requires a strongly put together team. Joan Bolanos would agree that the chemistry that the boys water polo team has grown stronger thanks to the amount of time he and his teammates have spent working and practicing together.
“An idea for a good team for water polo is really getting to know each other,” Bolanos commented. “Knowing each other would benefit our mentality and our cooperation. A team that knows each other has the ability to be a great team.”
Getting to know one another creates an understanding that can strengthen a team’s bond.
“What motivates me to keep playing water polo is the history I’ve made in the team,” Bolanos stated.
Kingsley Acosta agrees., “A good team is a team that can communicate and work well together,” he said.
Boy’s water polo is a fall Sport but the team has worked hard throughout the summer. “The coaches are really good at their jobs so I would like to show them the hard work we have worked all summer towards,” Joan Bolanos affirmed. Coach Marcus advises anyone interested in boys water polo that it takes hard work to be a part of the team.
“Dedication is a big part of it,” Coach Marcus noted. “It would help to stay in shape, but putting in hard work is really all you need.”
Finishing senior night with a win , Selma High won their game against Central High School, the score 16-5. Through a learning-filled and competitive season, some seniors left their last home game with a win, however the team and the season still have a ways to go.
“Our polo team has high hopes for the future as well as winning the TCC tournament this year,” mentions Kingsley Acosta.
It seems as the boys water polo team will keep looking ahead, to being better together for each game to follow.
