The Rancho Cucamonga High School boys water polo team kicked off the pre-season at Bonita High School, and although starting off with a 0-2 record, they came back strong for the rest of the season, including defeating Etiwanda High School during their match on October 17.

 “This season, we lost a lot of varsity players,” says RCHS senior Youssef Mikhaio. “We had to focus on making sure we did our own thing ‘cause it wasn’t the same as last year.”

 Even though the varsity team and coach predicted they could be as good as the ‘22-’23 season, the win rate dropped because of newer players replacing the old, more experienced players.

 The RCHS boys water polo closed out their season with a record of 9-13. The latest game was against Damien High School, in which Rancho’s water polo team lost by six points, 16 to 10. 

“I feel like our team kinda struggled in the beginning cause we weren’t really used to playing with each other but then we learned to play together more and work better as a team,” Mikhaio said.

According to Carolina Water Polo, water polo is a sport played in a pool that is at least 25 yards long, 20 yards wide, and 7 feet deep. Players may not touch the wall or the bottom of the playing field. Teams are made up of a maximum of 15 players. Six “field” players and one goalie start the game, which is divided into four quarters. Games typically are 45 minutes to an hour. Once a person has possession of the ball, they have to shoot or pass within 30 seconds. There is no limit on minor fouls, and they always result in a free pass. Major fouls (ejections) are less common, and if a player commits three ejections he or she is not allowed to play.