After just a single day of practice and a coaching search that ended one day before their first game, Wildcats girls’ varsity water polo finished 2-2 — doubling their win total from last season — in the Saddleback High School tournament on Dec. 6 and 7.
The Wildcats went winless in the first day of the tournament, with losses to Pacifica and Norte Vista high schools. However, the 0-2 start was not unexpected due to the lack of practice time as result of the lengthy clearance process for the team’s new coaches.
“Obviously we wanted to win, but we didn’t set expectations too high since we were still getting back in shape,” goalie Natalie Newcomb (‘27) said.
Center defender Zoey Szary (‘28) said, “The first day we lost because we needed time to work as a team since we haven’t played with each other.” While most programs had since Aug. 9 to train, the Wildcats had two hours of practice time to prepare for the season-opening tournament.
To prepare for the second day of the two-day tourney, the coaches — Charley Jackson and Kayla Arias (‘23) — scouted their opponents and tweaked the Wildcats’ game plan. These adjustments led to BOHS’s first win of the season, a 10-9 victory over El Rancho High School.
Even more remarkable than the win is that they achieved it by “ironmanning” their games with their seven-girl roster. Ironmaning occurs when there are no substitutions, so everyone on the team has to play the entire game.
“When you have to ironman a game it is physically taxing,” center Rylee Szary (‘26) said. “You’re swimming back and forth constantly, getting elbowed by girls, getting dragged back, being drowned, and just hoping you can have a breath of air.”
With no subs, the Wildcats relied on counter attacks to score goals and to allow for some of their teammates to stay back and catch their breaths.
“Our coaches warned us how hard it would be to play the full game so we tried to take advantage of every rest we could,” Zoey Szary said.
Rylee Szary was a force on both offense and defense with five goals and four steals against the Dons.
The victory over El Rancho felt like deja vu for the returners as El Rancho was the only varsity win for the Wildcats last season, and by the same score, 10-9.
“We beat them last year but I think we played a much better game this time,” Rylee Szary said. “We hope to reschedule a game with them and prove to them that we aren’t just a one point game.”
The Wildcats earned another narrow win in the girls’ final game of the tournament, a 12-11 victory over Edgewood High School of West Covina.
Newcomb led the defense with seven blocks, one steal, and one assist. On the offensive side, Rylee Szary added four goals and Peyton Crosta (‘27) notched one goal and two assists.
The Wildcats started out with a large lead but Edgewood battled back during the third quarter, closing the gap. The seven Wildcats, despite playing every minute of the four-game tournament, overcame exhaustion to secure the one point win.
“We all gave it our best and rose to the occasion,” Newcomb said.
Returning to the BOHS pool deck after playing at Fullerton College for two years is assistant coach Arias, along with former Fullerton College assistant coach and current Rosary High School head coach, Jackson, who officially assumed the Wildcats head coaching position one day before the tournament due to a long clearance process.
Jackson uses positive reinforcement and support to power the team. Since she has only worked with the team for six days, she is treating the pre-North Hills League games as opportunities to learn more about the players and the team’s playing style.
“The enthusiasm from [Jackson and Arias] makes us work a lot better as a team and individually,” Newcomb said.
The team’s improvement is also reflective of a roster that learned the sport on the fly during a 1-19 campaign in 2023. Last season, the team had seven players with no water polo experience, including five ninth graders.
“Last year was very difficult because the new players had to learn all the basics and then learn all the complexities that come with water polo,” Rylee Szary said.
This season, the team is composed of all veteran players except for first year player Quyen Anderson (‘28).
“It’s been hard but the coaches and players have really helped me,” Anderson said. “I’m still learning how to play…it’s a really fun sport.”
But while the team is proud of their two wins, Crosta acknowledged that they are more focused on “prioritizing improvement and skill set over record.”
“I’m so proud of how far I’ve seen the team come since last season and I’ve seen the improvement we’ve made in the short time with our coaches,” Rylee Szary said. “I’m confident we will go farther than last season.”
