In its first league game of the year, the Sunny Hills boys water polo team earned a win against El Modena High School [EMHS], finishing 11-10 on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at home.
“You know, every team wants to open up the league with a win and [El Modena] really made us work for that one,” head coach Jordan Jaime said. “But I really think the team’s determination and fortitude, both physically and mentally, is what made the difference for us right there.”
The starting lineup included seniors Dante Gelles, Joshua Kwak, Scott Lee and Thomas Oltman, along with junior Samuel Yun and sophomores Justin Lee and William Ryoo.
To start the game, Gelles scored the first goal. By the end of the first period, Sunny Hills led 4-1.
From there, the Lancers ran into a setback, as EMHS closed the gap. The second quarter ended with Sunny Hills ahead 4-3.
“We were kind of disappointed that our defense was crumbling,” Kwak said. “But after we started gaining our momentum back, we started feeling better.”
By the end of the third period, the Lancers held a one-point lead at 6-5. EMHS tied it 9-9 at the end of the interval, pushing the game into two three-minute overtime bouts.
In the first overtime, Sunny Hills fell behind 10-9 but scored in the sixth period to tie the game again at 10-10. That set up a sudden-death format in the seventh period, where the next goal would decide the game.
“It was really tiring going into that last period, but I really felt that we were going to pull through,” Yun said. “All in all, it’s just a great feeling to start the league with a win like that.”
To close the match, Scott Lee scored the decisive goal, sealing an 11-10 victory for the Lancers.
“It felt amazing to score the golden goal,” Scott Lee said.
Senior goalie Oltman said that while he had some big saves, the win was a full team effort.
“There were some crazy shots like Dante with that high corner, and Scott, obviously, had that finishing shot,” Oltman said. “So yeah, I think we were amazing.”
Jaime emphasized that the victory was more than just about who got in the pool.
“It takes a village,” he said. “There were a lot of players that didn’t play, but their influence needs to be recognized because without them, we can’t practice at the high level that we need to win these competitive games.”
When asked to name an MVP, Jaime pointed to Oltman’s performance in goalkeeping.
“Thomas really stepped up for us,” he said. “He had some tremendous saves that kept us in the game.”
The Lancers will play their next league match at home on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 4 p.m. against Sonora High School (1-1).
