Boys Water Polo defeats Redlands East Valley 13-4

Sophomore Denzel Tate shoots a ball in a home game against Palos Verdes. Photos from the Redlands East Valley High School game were unavailable at the time of publication.

By: Brooke Smith

Mira Costa boys water polo crushed Redlands East Valley High School 13-4 at home on Tuesday.

The Mustangs managed to gain possession at the beginning of every single quarter. They were aggressive with their shots and used progressive passing plays to keep Redlands East Valley on their toes. Junior Jake Carter carried the team with persistent shooting and three goals.

“We played really well as a team today, which is important considering we have an important tournament in Coronado this weekend,” Carter said.

In the first quarter, Carter gained possession of the ball immediately, getting the first goal of the game. Senior captain Ryder Theodore quickly followed with another goal for Costa. Carter finishes the quarter up with goal, ending it 4-0.

“We came out with a lot of fire in both offense and defense to start the game off with a heavy lead,” Carter said.

During the second quarter, Costa gained possession again with an immediate goal from junior Paolo Rivirn. REV managed to get a shot in, but Rivirn responded back with another goal. Junior Hunter Kolodziej kept the offense strong with two more goals, along with teammate Rivirn, ending the quarter 9-2.

“We really came together as a team through cooperation and played within the system for the advantage,” Rivirn said.

In the third quarter, senior captain Ryan Rossow scored his first goal of the game, followed by another goal from Carter. The team kept up heavy defense with no goals from REV. The quarter finished 13-2.

“We really carried our lead through halftime and continued to play a solid team game,” Rossow said. “Our performance in the third quarter served as a catalyst to increase our lead, and ultimately led to a blow out victory.”

In the final quarter, Costa grew a little weary, scoring no goals. REV picked up their offense with a couple shots during the final minutes. This did not stop Fry and Kolodziej from attempting to shoot. The game was a success for the Mustangs, ending with a score of 13-4.

“Although, we defeated Redlands East Valley considerably, our offense fell short during the fourth quarter because we were tired,” Theodore said.

The Mustangs are scheduled to play in an away tournament on Friday and Saturday called The AFC Invitational in San Diego. Currently, boys water polo holds a streak of one.

“I believe we can carry this moment through to our next game and take down a bay league rival of ours, starting off the season in league play strong,” senior Ryan Rossow said.