Irvington Vikings and James Logan Cubs faced off on September 11, 2024. Although they lost 12-5, the Irvington team fought valiantly, playing a good game and trying their best despite their eventual loss. Coming right from the end of two losses against Heritage and Castro Valley, it is clear there was an improvement in performance.
The two teams were neck and neck in the beginning through the second timeout; however, James Logan started pulling away towards the end. “We’re making some mistakes, that’s okay. It’s a developing program and everyone’s putting in hard work,” says Mr. Houlihan, the new Head Coach for this year’s Water Polo team.
Although they trailed behind in scoring, there was no slacking off once in the water. Throughout the game, the players aptly demonstrated their determination, willpower, and passion for the game.
Despite their efforts, Houlihan considers the length of the game to have caused a degree of exhaustion for the players, contributing to their loss. Maya McCartney (12), team captain for the Girls’ Varsity team, shared a similar view. “I think we just kind of got in our heads a little bit. It was getting close to the end, and then it was just cutting it a little too close, and we were also getting tired on top of that.”
Nevertheless, McCartney emphasizes that it was a good competition, the team trying their hardest, with improvement in the future looking hopeful. Some room for improvements she suspected the team could work on included communication, especially when changing positions. This way, players could identify how to support their teammates during critical offenses without the defense being able to adapt to their movements.
In addition to better teamwork, McCartney also emphasized hiring more coaching staff, with additional coaches, alumni, and parents, to teach players specialized skills for their positions, ensuring everyone could have the necessary training to perform their best. “Having this split Head Coach and Assistant Coach, one per team, is a little difficult, especially for all the positions we have,” McCartney says.
Mr. Houlihan was optimistic about the team’s outlook for the year. “The hardest teams are in the beginning, the rest, I think we’ll have a very good chance,” Houlihan declared. The team had an improvement in defense and passing since their first game of the year against Castro Valley, which ended in a 1-17 loss for Irvington.
Mr. Houlihan also provided some thoughts on how IHS could improve the team’s chances for victory in the future. “A reason why Irvington Vikings lost this time”, says Houlihan, “is because of the limited amount of players for water polo, a limited amount of subs making it difficult to pull players in and out” when they need a break. He suggests increased outreach such as hosting booths and informative seminars, to attract more players for the games.
The roadmap ahead for Varsity Girls’ looks bright, with hard competitions ahead in Washington, and more trained players as the school year progresses. The next game for the Water Polo Girls’ Varsity team will be against Washington on September 18, 2024, at 5:30 p.m.
