With water polo season in full swing, the boys varsity team has high hopes for this year’s season with their new head coach, Eddie Simonin.

The team’s record currently stands at 3-6 (win/loss), whereas last year it ended at 2-12 in league play.

“Eddie is much more knowledgeable about the game than our prior coaches. Having an actual offensive and defensive playbook this year has helped us immensely,” senior goalie Anton Uphoff said.

Simonin hopes his two senior team captains, senior starting hole set Henry Jimenez and Uphoff, and put in their best efforts into their last year of water polo at SCHS.

“Henry has really stepped up as a leader for his senior season – every game, he plays with the most heart and intensity out of everyone. He’s always getting his teammates fired up during games,” Simonin said. “Anton has also been stepping up in the cage. Having a big frame really helps cover a good amount of the cage in most situations.”

Simonin has been strongly encouraging his team while strengthening them physically, preparing them for a better season.

Simonin has made practice a lot more strict than it used to be, which has helped the team get into better shape, and consequently perform better during games.

The team does a drill known as “The Grinder,” where the players run a lap around the track, swim 100 meters in the pool, then repeat until they have done five laps at the track and 500 meters by the last set.

Simonin aims to improve the team’s records from previous years, which aren’t the best, compared to other schools’ past records. The season has started out very well, according to the coach and athletes, but they still look forward to improving themselves even more than they already have.

“I don’t want my team to be the one other schools look at and automatically say ‘It’s gonna be a win.’ Some teams are just better than others and the others just have to practice harder, but everyone should be taken seriously,” Simonin said.

The team hopes to at least end up with an even score this year if not a winning record.

“I hope to get at least win half of our games and to make the other stronger teams to suffer for their win because we aren’t losing without a fight,” Jimenez said.