After a perfect 10-0 run through the Central California Conference last season, the Merced High boys water polo team enters this season with high expectations. It’s the type of lofty goals that result in hanging a blue banner in the gym. “It’s a CCC championship and a section championship, that’s my goal for this team,” said Merced first-year coach Eric Larson.

 

The Bears look the part early on this season, sprinting out to a 13-2 record overall and improving to 2-0 in the CCC after Wednesday’s 17-4 victory over Buhach Colony. Merced is currently ranked No. 1 overall in the Sac-Joaquin Section by MaxPreps. “We have a bright season ahead of us,” said Merced senior Eli Hamm. “I think we’re going to do big things and it’s really exciting.”

 

What sets the Bears apart from other area teams is experience. Players like Hamm and fellow senior Reid McCall have been playing water polo together since they were seven years old. They’ve grown up in the pool and know the game in and out. “We were introduced to water polo so early,” Hamm said. “Experience is everything. I come in here with double or even triple the experience of some kids. My whole life has been water polo and I can definitely tell the difference between myself and someone who started playing three or four years ago.”

Reid McCall says that experience helps him know where all the players are going to be at in the pool at all times. He knows where to pass the ball in certain situations. He knows Hamm is going to be ready or when his little brother Cord McCall has an advantage. “It’s almost like telepathy for us,” said Reid McCall, who was the CCC MVP last season.

 

The emphasis for Larson and the coaching staff is an unselfish style of play. Larson says the players don’t care who scores the goals or who racks up the statistics. They just want the ball to end up in the net. “Our guys have bought in,” Larson said. “We’ve had multiple games already this year where everyone scored a goal, even our goalie. I would say our water polo IQ and our passing are our strengths. Our passing is really good and when we’re on we’re tough to stop.”

 

The Bears overwhelmed the Thunder (5-6 overall, 0-2 CCC) with their defensive pressure and speed in transition as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead by the half. Larson was happy with offensive output as eight different players scored goals. Merced was led by Hunter Gossett and Hamm, who both scored three goals. Cord McCall, Reid McCall, Matthew Hamilton and Kade Slocum all added two goals each. “I don’t care who scores as long as we win,” Reid McCall said. “The score at the end of the game is the only score that matters.”

 

“It’s amazing,” Hamm added. “I love it when we’re able to beat a team like this 17-4 and everyone scores. We’re dishing it out. It’s a really fun way to play water polo.” 

 

The players have put in a lot of work to prepare for the season and they know it’s going to be tough to reach the goals they’ve set for themselves. “We’re all dedicated year round,” Reid McCall said. “We all play year round and we work hard in practice. We work hard together. We’ve worked really hard so far and we have a lot of hard work left to do.”

Atwater 11, Los Banos 1 – Cooper Lanum and Kiernan Wilson scored three goals apiece to help the Falcons improve to 8-7 overall and 2-0 in the CCC. Grant Williamson added two goals and two assists and Zayne Zamarripa scored two goals and finished with four steals for the Falcons. Cooper Lanum led the Atwater defense with eight steals and goalie Mathias Cole blocked 11 shots.

 

El Capitan 17, Golden Valley 4 – Thirteen different Gauchos players scored to help El Capitan improve to 10-4 overall and 2-0 in the CCC. Leading the way for El Capitan was Aiden Witt, who scored four goals. Joseph Rodriguez recorded five assists and Colby Schanze finished with four steals for the Gauchos.

 

Girls Water Polo

Merced 17, Buhach Colony 2 – The high expectations isn’t just limited to the Merced High boys program. The girls are the defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champions and they have hopes of repeating this season. “We don’t talk about it that much,” said Merced coach Kit Grattan. “I like to wait until the end.”

The Bears have started this season right where they left off. Wednesday’s win over Buhach Colony was their 10th victory in a row as they improved to 10-1 overall and 2-0 in the CCC. The Bears are currently ranked No. 2 in the Sac-Joaquin Section, 10th in the state and 13th in the nation by MaxPreps.

 

The Bears had 11 different players score against the Thunder as recorded 16 assists on their 17 goals. “The entire team is playing for each other,” Grattan said. Elise Metcalf led the way with three goals, four assists and two steals. Taylor Lung, Ally Barnett, Zoey Hickman and Sarah Slocum all added two goals each as Merced jumped out to a 12-0 lead at the half.

 

Merced has won their first two CCC games by a combined score of 30 to 5 and that’s with Grattan subbing early and often. “Our goal is to go out and play every game hard, play positive, good water polo,” Grattan said. “I’m sure in the back of everyone’s mind, we want to make it back and play in the section final, but sometimes it takes a little luck.”

 

The Bears already have victories over strong teams like Del Oro, Oak Ridge and Clovis West. They will see tough competition in tournaments coming up in Modesto and the Bay Area. “We’ll see some real tests in those tournaments and  that will tell us where we’re at,” Grattan said.

 

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at sjansen@muhsd.org.