It was good, but it could have been better.
That was the general sentiment of boys’ varsity water polo after their game against Carlmont High School on Oct. 17. They defeated the Scots 14-11, but given the abundance of success the Panthers have experienced this season, they expected the game to go more smoothly.
“We should have beat this team by a lot more,” sophomore Lucas Carlson said.
The Panthers got off to a rocky start, falling behind 4-2 in the first quarter amidst intense back and forth. The Panthers stepped up their game during the second quarter, scoring five consecutive goals to steal the 7-5 lead going into the second half.
“[In the] first quarter, we were down by a little bit, so that was kind of a wake up call,” junior Oliver Canniffe said. “From there, we kept it fun and engaging. Our new motto now is ‘play hard and have fun,’ so that’s what we decided to do for the rest of the game.”
Carlmont held their ground during the third quarter, trading points with Burlingame to finish the quarter trailing 10-7. On the offensive front, the Panthers showed strong coordination and teamwork, consistently passing the ball along the length of the pool to open scoring opportunities. The defense was less solid and made a few mistakes, but senior goalie Bobby Kendall had a number of impressive blocks against Carlmont’s strong strikers.
“We did pretty well in set/center — the guy right in front of the goal; I played center, so I got a couple goals, [and] Matt got a goal,” Carlson said. “Overall defense, I think we’re kind of slacking: we weren’t [swimming] that fast today, [could have had] smarter passes, but … our goalie, Bobby, did well.”
The Panthers held their slight edge for the remaining quarter, alternating goals with Carlmont to take home the win. Though Burlingame was able to coast to a conclusive victory after their burst of energy in the second quarter, it was hard-fought and there were moments where the Scots came close to contesting their lead. That said, the Panthers made sure to prioritize fun and positive team spirit throughout.
“We just tried to get as many people engaged and evolved as possible. When you’re in, give it your all, and when you’re out, cheer on your teammates,” Canniffe said.
For the Panthers, willingness to improve is an important element that goes beyond raw scores and game results. Entering into the more competitive Bay League division after a successful previous season, they had hopes of keeping up their strong performance against tougher foes.
Even though Burlingame was unable to qualify for the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs after a close loss to Menlo-Atherton High School on Sept. 25 and a more conclusive defeat to Sequoia on Oct. 9, the team made a lot of progress since the beginning of the season and were able to stay true to the heart of team sports: building a strong community.
“We have a big bench — we have backups for every position, [so] anytime anyone gets hurt we can sub someone straight in. We have great team camaraderie. We’re all really good friends,” Canniffe said.
Additionally, the introduction of varsity coach Brett Reynolds to the team has helped improve gameplay and tie things together.
“We also have a new coach this year, and he’s really just making everything come together. I don’t think he could have done the season any better,” Canniffe said. “[Reynolds] has a lot of experience. He won two Division I championships. He started at USC for three years. He swam the English Channel. He has a really big background, [and] he’s really gotten the boys inspired to just go and give it our all this season.”
Burlingame’s victory against Carlmont marked their final conference game for this year’s season. In light of their strong play and overall progress, the team is optimistic going into their last few games against competitive teams.
Most importantly, they’re having fun.
“Water polo is a lot bigger than the swimming pool we play in. It’s the whole ocean,” sophomore Colby Dang said, laughing.
