When BOHS girls’ varsity water polo travels 47 miles east to face Valley View High School in the first round of CIF-Southern Section Division 3 playoffs Feb. 4, they will do it as underdogs against one of the top teams in the section.
According to head coach Marissa Brock, the girls are ready to “do the dang thing,” and advance to the second round of CIF for the second straight year.
The Wildcats clinched their playoff spot with a 10-1 win against Pacifica High School Jan. 22, a win that also secured a North Hills League championship and avenged an 8-7 loss to the Mariners last spring.
The victory also marked the Wildcats’ first league title since 2023, senior and 2025 All-CIF player Rylee Szary’s freshman year.
“A win against Valley View will bookend my senior year,” Szary said. “And I get to share it with my team and sister.” Rylee has been playing alongside younger sister Zoey Szary [’28] since 2021.
The Wildcats have had to adjust to more than just tough opponents, however: This season marks the program’s sixth head coach in four years.
“It’s definitely been a challenge playing for a new coach each year, but it’s brought us together as a team,” Quyen Anderson (‘28) said. “The coaching changes have helped us become more adaptable and to rely on each other more.”
Brock was introduced to BOHS three days after previous head coach, Bella Castaneda, left Dec. 28. Brock, a Biola student-athlete and Saint Mary’s (Stockton) High School alumna, had already known the team from combined practices at Fullerton College.
After going undefeated in league play, the Wildcats moved up two divisions from last season.
“[CIF] is going to be a struggle, but it’s a good fit for us,” Rylee said. “It’ll push us to be even better than we were before.”
The Wildcats (13-9) go into the CIF contest in Moreno Valley as the 31 seed, whereas the Eagles (15-11) are seeded second.
Despite facing a team seeded 29 spots ahead of them, BOHS remains hopeful.
“It’s what happens in the game that counts, not the match-up,” Szary said.
