Boys’ Varsity Water Polo huddles around Assistant Coach Selena Gell.
After a 15-4 blowout victory against archrival Deerfield on September 17, Boys’ Varsity Water Polo aimed to take home another win over its foe from the Emerald City on October 5.
The first three quarters of the game consisted of the two teams trading goals, with the boys in Blue and Gold leveling the score at 8-8 going into the final quarter of regulation.
Jake MacKenzie ’17 stood on his head in net, turning away multiple shots from Deerfield’s offense. Helping out in both ends of the pool, Tristan So ’17 and co-captain Omar John ’17 netted a combined eight goals and nine steals for two incredible performances. John also drew an ejection, further aiding Choate’s cause. Co-captain Stefan Kassem ’17 potted two goals, Charles Bellemare ’17 nabbed one goal for himself, and Ben Zhao ’18 provided an important assist.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Wild Boars had put up thirteen goals to twelve from the Big Green. With that close score, the result of a nail-biting match, Choate brought its season record up to 6-2.
This game proved to be a much closer match than the last time the two teams met. Kassem said, “Deerfield put up a really good fight, but it was pretty nice to beat our rivals from up north.” He was particularly complimentary of his co-captain John, who scored four goals. Kassem cited John’s will to “get in and fight hard for the ball” as an important part of the game. “He put in a couple of shots where the goalie got the ball, and then Tristan sprinted to clean up the rebound for a few important points,” Kassem said.
Kassem pointed to when the game was tied at eight as a huge turning point for the Wild Boars. “It was big for us. We were down a point right before that, and to get the score back to a tie let every single one of us know that we could walk away with a win.”
A big win against any closely-matched opponent is huge, but one against your rival in your own pool is particularly special. The boys are trying to get some good rest and practice this week before their big tilt against Canterbury on Saturday, October 15. The team will next play at home on October 26 against the Williston Northampton Bobcats.
