This past Saturday, fifth-seeded Boys Water Polo traveled to Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) to compete in the NewEngland Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Boys Water Polo Championships. The team faced off againstthe strong fourth-seeded Greenwich Country Day School (Greenwich) team that held a record of eight wins and seven losses. With the pressure of the playoff game and a tough opponent whom the team had lost to a month prior by a score of 8-15, the team prepared for a difficult but exciting matchup.
During the quarterfinals, emotions ran very high. Itwas the first round of playoffs, and neither team was ready to lose. Hugo Appen’27 recalledthe atmosphere of the game as both players and the crowd were uncertain of its outcome.
“It was really fun, there were a lot of swings and leads.Theywere leading after the first quarter. We got the lead back in the second and third [quarters], butthey took it at the end. At the very end, we almost came back, and the crowd was completely cheering. It was crazy because there was a fairly sizable crowd, and everyone was cheering because the gamewas so close,” saidAppen.
As Appen described, the game was very back-and-forth. This led to many players stepping up, creating plays, and showing out when the team needed it most. According to Victor Hillier ’28, the Co-Captains Oliver Stabach ’26andEthanZhu’26exemplified strong leadership capabilities that elevated the team’s performance and kept morale high.
“[Our captains] definitely rose to the challenge and helped out a lot. Lincoln Tomlinson [’27] playedgreatdefensivelyandstood out to me. He locked up their best player almost the entire game. I’ll give our goalie, Hugo, lots of credit. He made incredible saves to keep our team in the game,” said Hillier.
The team was firing on all cylinders throughout this battle, determined to stay in the tournament and advance. Appen stated that Hilliermade apivotalplay towards the end ofthe third quarter that energized fellow teammates.
“We were either tied or we were up by one, but the game was hanging in the balance. Victor got the ball. With the clock winding down in the third quarter, he shot it from half court and made the shot,whichgaveus somemomentum going into the fourth quarter and a lead,” said Appen.
Tomlinson described the impact of incorporating new training into their practices just two weeks before the championship. The team spirit allowed for new chemistry to shine through, even as the season came to a close.
“We spent the last two weeks of our season learning new plays, which we put into effect during the game. [We] experimented with new lineups to see player chemistry, and learned new skills specific to roles in-game. Players who play the set position would spend a bunch of time practicing getting the entry pass and dunking the ball, andthosewhosepositions are on the perimeter spent a lotoftimepracticingputtingshots up from range and all angles,” said Tomlinson.
Going into the fourth quarter with the momentum from Hillier’s goal, the team found itself trailing behind Greenwich. According to Hillier, throughout the week, because the team knew who it would be playing against, it practiced an aggressive strategy, pressing its opponents.
“Pressing is our strongest defensive play. That really helped us, especially in those last few moments, or imagine stealing the ball, not once, but twice, in a span of a minute and a half,” said Hillier.
Tomlinson described the team’s strength as its ability to create quick turnarounds in plays that Greenwich failed to support. This allowed Andover to force Greenwich to lose crucial points and energy.
“We scored quitewell on counterattacks, having the advantage when the opponents’ defense wasn’t set up well. We did a good job of converting these opportunities into points, and it was something we continuously beat [Greenwich] at,” said Tomlinson.
Ultimately, the Boys Water Polo team fell to Greenwich. It ended its seasonwitha 9-7 record. It hopes to take this loss not as a discouragement, but rather as motivation to push for next season in the aim of winning next year’s championship.
