Varsity girls water polo ends season in quarter finals, JV clinches Almont league title
by Mariah Lin & Cindy Vuong
Girls’ varsity water polo concluded their season with a 8-1 loss to the Agoura Chargers, Feb. 21 in the second round of CIF Southern Section playoffs.
The team played the Dana Hills Dolphins yesterday at home, but scores were unavailable at press time.
“This is by far the most talented team I have coached in my career,” said varsity head coach David Argumosa. “I will be losing eight seniors, all of whom are irreplaceable.”
With an overall record of 23-6 and league record of 3-1, the Spartans concluded their season with a second place finish in Almont League behind the Montebello Oilers and ahead of the Alhambra Moors, Mark Keppel Aztecs and Bell Gardens Lancers, respectively.
Offensively, the Spartans finished with a total of 191 assists, 365 steals and 184 saves. As a team, 332 goals were scored out of the 755 attempted shots.
“Our goal coming into this season was to beat the Lancers, and close the gap with the Oilers,” said Argumosa. “Not only did we dominate against the Lancers, we only lost to the Oilers by three [points]. We also finished the season ranked tenth in Division 2, which has never happened in the 10-year history of the program.”
Against the Upland Highlanders, the team suffered a 12-11 loss in a close game Feb. 13. The Spartans started the game strong, trading goals with the Highlanders to end the first quarter with a 3-2 lead. Both teams continued their strong offensive play in the second quarter, with the Spartans scoring four goals to increase their lead to 7-2. The Highlanders countered with three goals to make the score 7-5 going into halftime.
In the second half, the Spartans’ momentum slowed, and the Highlanders scored five goals. The Spartans scored two late goals towards the end of the third quarter, but the Highlanders took the 10-9 lead. Both teams scored two goals in the final quarter, but the Spartans fell short and lost.
The team defeated the El Rancho Dons, 17-4, on Feb. 11. They also dominated against the Long Beach Polytechnic Jackrabbits and Pacifica Tritons, winning 14-6 and 17-8 Feb. 10 and Feb. 7, respectively.
“During my freshman year, we barely made playoffs,” said Lauren Gil De Montes, senior utility player and four-year starter. “Throughout four years, we have made significant improvement. This year has been the best year by far, and we hope to advance past quarter-finals.”
The JV team ended their winning season, clinching the Almont League title for the second consecutive year.
“I feel as though this season went very well because we dominated in league,” said JV head coach Uriel Villa. “We also did really well in the varsity tournaments we competed in.”
The Spartans shut out the Highlanders, 20-6, Feb. 13, and defeated the Dons, 17-3, Feb. 11.
“We’ll use our successes to further improve next season,” said Villa.
*UPDATE: Girls’ varsity water polo concluded their season with a 8-1 loss to the Agoura Chargers, Feb. 21 in the second round of CIF Southern Section playoffs. (02/21/15-3 p.m.)
I would like to know why the swim team is not included in the sports for Schurr High School. Are they not important? I see all other sports yet Swim doesn’t get followed.