16 water polo players flew to Los Angeles for the Villa Park Classic Tournament from October 3-5. Campolindo’s boys were seeded 1st.

After beating both Buena Park and El Toro 12-8, and prevailing over Righetti 13-10, the team faced Santa Margarita in the semi-final. The Cougars lost this game and placed 3rd overall in the tournament. Santa Margarita went on to win the tournament.

Villa Park, Yorba Linda, El Dorado, and Santa Margarita High Schools each provided pools for the tournament.

Team captain Dylan Fara was proud of his team’s performance. “We did very well. We were looking to win the tournament, but third place is still really good,” he said.

“We really need to work on more of a team game instead of playing as individuals and we could also improve our communication in the pool,” Fara added.

Sophomore Cole Stevens thinks practicing will help the team improve. “You can never be perfect, you can never stop improving. Every time you practice you have to want to get better,” Stevens explained.  “I think that we learned a lot skill wise, and also bonded as a team,” he said of the tournament experience.

Stevens believes he can be a model for his teammates. “If I go as hard as I can at practice I will improve every other player and make them work harder too,” he said.

The trip to Southern California was not only an opportunity to compete for the Cougars. “It was definitely fun. We hung out at the hotel, went to see a few movies, and bonded as a team,” Fara said.