Julie King, Photographer
Wade Sias, Staff Writer
Boys water polo suffered a tough lost on Wednesday October 5th with a score of 2-19 to Huntington Beach High School, who has recently been ranked 4th in Orange County. After some shifting of the roster for the season opener the Barons had some new faces such as Conor Halstad (’12) and Chad Halstad (’14). However the core of the pre-season team was still present. It was the game of the week and ASB was at the poolside cheering strong for the Barons, but after a huge deficit early on the Barons once again dug themselves into a hole they could not swim out of.
The sun was poking through the stormy sky as the game started, ASB was making their way to the stands. The boys quickly fell down 2-0 though after two quick strikes in only the first minute of the game. Throughout the first period, the Barons fell victim to an abundance of turnovers. Kyle Breznau (’14) was able to nab one late in the first but constant turnovers led to counter attacks and missed opportunities in the offensive zone. The first period ended a dismal 1-8. After some early opportunities in the 2nd period, the Barons allowed two more before a powerful one man effort from Nick Frens (’12) notched only the second goal for the Barons. The game was 2-11 at half. After the half, the Barons came out strong and pounded the Oilers with shot after shot, but the opposing goalie impressed, keeping the Barons off the score board for the remainder of the game. As the 3rd and 4th quarters wore on, the Barons could not generate offense to try and claw back out of an already enormous deficit. In the 4th period the Oilers scored 6 to end the game 2-19.
The Oilers are going to be a top contender for Southern Section CIF and really are an impressive team, as their Frosh/soph and jv teams also came victorious against the Barons. This game served as an early warning for the Baron team that has endured hardships through preseason. However there will be opportunities for the Barons to make playoffs this year. Although they must ensure that they contend with Edison, Marina, and Los Alamitos, because those are the teams that will match up with the Barons and fight for the wild card into the playoffs.
The boys look to take on Newport Harbor High School at Newport Harbor High School next Wednesday at 6 pm.
