As the sun beamed down on Ventura High School’s Graham pool, blue and gold faced off in yet another cross-town rivalry game. In the end, the afternoon of Oct. 15th went down in history as Buena boys water polo clinched a win against Ventura, becoming the first Bulldog team this school year to beat the Cougars.
While warming up for the game, the Bulldogs prepared to not only battle the Cougars, but their own head-colds. Five of Buena’s starters suffered from a cold, a disadvantage that could affect an important game.
Even with these circumstances, Buena’s coaching staff and team bond helped them prepare for a challenge.
“You don’t really come into these games looking at how you think they’re going to go because the game always takes on a life of its own,” head coach Tom Davis said.
With the sound of the whistle, the first quarter sprint was off and Ventura earned the first possession. While the two teams began to feel each other out, the first four minutes went by without a goal. Multiple shots were fired, but none seemed to find the back of the cage until freshman and number four Paolo Del Negro slipped the ball under the goalie’s arm, ending the quarter 1-0.
The second quarter played out like the first, with most shots hitting the bar. Junior and number 14 Jack Pointner countered past Ventura’s defenders and threw a shot at the bottom corner of the cage, followed by another point earned by Junior and number 11 Wyatt Munger.
With the Bulldogs leading 3-0, the Cougars took a timeout in hope to tighten the score. The massive turnout cheered in anticipation as Ventura passed the ball around and swept in a goal.
The rest of the quarter saw a drawn ejection and goal from junior and number two River Davis and another drawn ejection from Pointner, finishing out 4-2 Buena.
With the score too close for comfort, both teams took a lap to cool off the nerves during halftime. After motivational words from the Buena coaching staff, the Bulldogs lined up at the wall looking to pull ahead.
The quarter kicked off with a jump ball, junior number eight Nate Johnson soared out of the water to tip the ball to his teammate. Pointner spun through the defenders and received a pass from the outside, scoring. However, Ventura made a comeback, sending two shots from the perimeter to the corner of the cage, frustrating the Bulldogs.
“Those goals definitely gave them momentum, but we were able to bounce back in the end,” junior and goalie Mack Munger said.
And he was right, M. Munger shut down a third attempt from the outside and sent two perfect passes down the middle for counter goals, ending the quarter 7-5 Bulldogs.
“I’m the last line of defense, so everyone relies on me when it comes down to a shot,” M. Munger said.
In their last chance for redemption, the cougars climbed out of the pool during the break to discuss a game plan. With it being their senior game, Ventura had hoped for a win. Buena shattered that hope by winning the fourth quarter sprint; W. Munger put another point onto the board for the Bulldogs.
Pointner slammed in his fifth goal and M. Munger blocked a couple shot attempts, leading Ventura to call yet another timeout, this time switching in all of their substitute players.
In the final minute of the game, R. Davis was able to draw an ejection on Ventura’s goalie and Johnson slipped the ball past the defender’s arms for another point.
Although the Cougars managed to eject Pointner in the last twenty-one seconds, they couldn’t get the ball past the Bulldog defense and the shot clock sounded for the game to end, final score 10-5, Buena.
The stands erupted in cheers as Buena finished victorious. The Bulldogs remained humble with their celebrations to show respect, but were also visibly tired after the game.
“In the beginning, [the sickness] wasn’t that much of a factor, but as we played it got worse and worse,” W. Munger said.
Because of the non-home disadvantage, the crowd intimidated the Bulldogs and winning began feeling more like something they needed to prove to themselves despite the conditions.
“The goal was to stay calm even with a big crowd. [We wanted to] just play our own game,” R. Davis said, despite the challenges of sick team members.
With yet another win under their belt, Buena’s boys water polo team gears up to compete in open division CIF-SS, a first for Buena high school.
“This year we made our mark,” R. Davis said, “Next year we’re going to come out even stronger and beat them again.”
