Arcadia Water Polo Off to a Hot Start
By Spencer Stueve
The Arcadia High School Boys Water Polo team is off to a hot start. After finishing last season with a 12-6 loss to Diamond Bar High School in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 Quarterfinals, the Apaches looked to better their 2016 results in 2017. In late August, they began their season by handily defeating Monrovia in the season opener, and the wins kept coming.
After starting the season with three consecutive wins, Arcadia dropped a game to Temple City High School, but then got back on track with seven consecutive wins, including an undefeated showing in the Western Tournament, beating Savanna, Cleveland Charter, Chino, and Orange Lutheran JV.
This past weekend, the Apaches played in the Bull Run Tournament against a stacked field. In the first game, the Apaches fell to Glendora, and things would not get easier. Later in the afternoon on Friday, the Apaches fell once again, this time losing to Alemany. On Saturday, things went from bad to worse. The Apaches lost two more games, falling 12-3 to Sage Hill, and then losing a heartbreaker 12-11 to Brentwood. The Apaches were able to close out the tournament with a win in their final game, beating Colony in a high scorer, 18-14.
Despite the disappointing showing at the Bull Run Tournament, there is reason for optimism for Janice Clark and the Apaches. The Varsity squad has a strong mix of experienced players, with six seniors, as well as youth that will mature as the season progresses. There are five juniors and five sophomores on the roster.
The next match up for the Apaches comes on Thursday, September 26 against the Glendale High School Dynamiters. Arcadia beat Glendale 10-0 in their lone meeting last season.