Varsity Boys Water Polo Lose on Scoreboard; Win In Pool

By: Lucas de Lima

VISALIA – Redwood’s Varsity Boys Water Polo team continued their preseason campaign with a loss to the Kingsburg Vikings by a score of 11 to 10.

The start time for the game was delayed from 5:00 to 6:30 because of the heat. The temperature had to drop below 105 degrees in order for the game to start.

This will be the last meeting of the season between the Rangers and the Vikings, with the Rangers playing in the East Yosemite League (EYL), and the Vikings playing in the Tri-County Athletic Conference (TCAC).

This was the second preseason game of the season for the Rangers, their first being a loss to Reedley High School with a score of 11 to 6.

The close final score does not reveal how the entire course of the game went for the Rangers. The game started with the Vikings striking first inside the opening 2 minutes.

The Rangers would level the score at 1 to 1 with an opportunistic effort from #3 Mitchell Dean ’24 at close range, with #10 Jake Bettencourt ’25 adding another goal with a strike from the left side to make it 2-1 Rangers. The Vikings would erroneously have a goal added from a failed 5-meter shot, and thus the first quarter would end with both teams even at 2 goals apiece.

The second quarter is where the game would begin to flip for the Rangers, with the Vikings scoring first and not stopping. The Vikings would amount 5 goals past the Redwood defense in the second quarter, the most in any quarter for either team during the match. With some lost chances and poor passes, the Rangers could not find the back of the net, leaving the score to be 7 to 2 in favor of the Vikings at halftime.

The halftime break was much needed for the Rangers, as they returned energized and flipped the results of the last quarter on its head. The Rangers opened the scoring and kept adding, with 4 total goals in the third quarter. The Redwood defense would also tighten up, as they allowed 0 Kingsburg goals in the third quarter. This resulted in the score being a close 7 to 6 still in favor of the Vikings.

The fourth quarter would be the most intense one of the night, with the Rangers tying the score, resulting in a loud roar of the Rangers faithful on the north end of the bleachers. Both schools would go back and forth for the rest of the quarter, with Redwood goalkeeper #1 Magnus Burgess ’24 making two crucial 5-meter saves to keep the Rangers in the game. Although it would be the Vikings who would get the last laugh, firing a shot from about 4 meters out in the center with 5 seconds remaining in the game to make it 11 to 10 with Vikings on top.

The standout players of the game were: #3 Mitchell Dean ’24 with 3 goals, and #1 Magnus Burgess ’24 with 11 saves, including multiple 5-meter saves.

The disappointing result did not dampen the optimism of the game from the players though, with #4 David Ross ’25 proud of his team advances, “I feel like this game today we played way better against a better team. So I feel like even after just a couple days we are already seeing big improvements,” Ross says.

#8 Tyson Phillips ’26 also had positive thoughts on his teams performance on Tuesday. Phillips says, “We’ve really come together and we are able to work as a team. Even though we were down a lot of points in the first half we were able to come back and then tie it up.”

Burgess is extremely content with the team chemistry this season. “Team chemistry is [an] important thing in a team and I think that our team chemistry is around 9 or 10 [out of 10]. We went on a lot of trips together, and we’ve gelled as a team,” says Burgess.

The Rangers next game will be Thursday, August 17, at home versus the Tulare Western Mustangs.

The Rangers will start their official EYL season on Tuesday, September 26, at home versus the El Diamante Miners.

Ross is prepared for the first EYL test for the Rangers against the Miners. Ross says, “Looking forward to our first game against El D. I’m looking to go 1 and 0 in the season.”

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