Eight days after boys’ water polo made a splash against Aragon High School and secured a Central Coast Section (CCS) berth, the team was back in the water on Saturday, Nov 8., for the Division II quarterfinal. Bouncing back late in the season, the Panthers looked to solidify a winning streak and reach the semifinals, but they ultimately fell to Pioneer High School 15-9, marking the end of their season.
The Mustangs set the tone with multiple goals in the first half, leaving the Panthers trailing for the majority of the game. The Panthers were also missing two starters, which head coach Rory Hocker said affected their performance.
“Missing that firepower and those crucial players was massive, and we were pretty underhanded going in, but we had some massive performances from everyone else that allowed us to keep the game very competitive,” Hocker said.
Hocker said two standout seniors helped keep the game tightly contested, bringing life to the Panthers’ offense.
“Senior Adrian Gong led the way with a hat trick. He had three goals, and then senior Alex Bozinovic also had two goals, and those were the two key players,” Hocker said.
From beginning to end, the Mustangs relied on their strongest set of players for both offense and defense. Senior Matthew Derossett said that their gameplay was effective at finding the Panthers’ weak spots.
“They kind of came in the game wanting to utilize their stronger players and shut down our offensive threats. And they did that. They did that pretty well,” Derrossett said.
Freshman Henry Hopkins said the Panthers had to focus on defending two of Pioneer’s best players, including one ranked 15th nationally for goals scored. He noted that because the team dedicated additional defenders to guard those two players, the rest of their defense was limited.
“They’re trying to work the ball to one guy, if they couldn’t get the ball to him, they would have their second best guy take a shot from the outside. So to defend that we were dropping three guys to guard their best player,” Hopkins said.
Ultimately, Burlingame could not rack up enough goals during the second half to surpass Pioneer, which was exacerbated by their 9-6 deficit coming into halftime. Despite the loss, Derossett said the team’s progress and growth over the last couple of months was impressive.
“It’s impressive being a top team in the area, especially considering just a few years ago, my freshman year, we were bottom of the league,” Derrossett said.
Reflecting on the season, Hopkins praised the seniors’ leadership, as they helped guide the underclassmen.
“I’m kind of sad to watch some of these older players leave our team, and I’m glad I got to play on varsity this season as a freshman, because I got to learn a lot from these guys,” Hopkins said.
Likewise, Hocker said he was proud of the team’s ability to compete at a high level and make their first CCS playoff appearance in eight years. He added that the departing seniors were a special group of athletes who made significant contributions to the team.
“They were pretty much the heart and soul of the program. And to build the program up from being in the bottom division as freshmen, winning the bottom division as sophomores, and then going on in making CCS as seniors after for the first time as a school in eight years since 2017, it was a pretty fantastic year, and we managed to beat everyone in league at least once this year,” Hocker said. “That’s pretty huge. And it’s not something that should be glossed over.”
