Cougars Stomp Mats in Rival Waterpolo Game

The long-standing rivalry between Campolindo and Miramonte is no secret amongst students and athletes at either school. On September 22, Campo students did not fail to bring Cougar spirit to the anticipated Miramonte vs Campolindo boys’ varsity water polo game.

Although the game took place at Miramonte High School, the Cougar presence was unmistakable as supporters gave the players the confidence they needed to exit the pool victorious.

At the start of the game, both teams were rather even in score. However, as the end of the 1st half approached, Campo began to pull away with back-to-back goals from senior star players Luca Rago and Tommy Richards, as well as many memorable saves from senior goalie, West Temkin.

By the end of the game, the Campolindo team had racked up a total of 13 goals across multiple team members, outscoring the Matadors 13-4.

Senior captain Brody Crouch explained that the Campolindo “spirit in the stands easily helped…hyp[ing] us up and [giving] us the energy we needed to win.”

After the cougars had beat Miramonte the first time over the summer, sophomore Will Vranesh explains that coming into the game, the team “had a feeling that [they] could beat them…and [they] did”.

Vranesh then added that he felt the game had much “more aggressiveness and more physicality…because we both want[ed] to beat each other.”

After the win, both Campolindo players and spectators were very excited not only to have won, but to have beaten the rival. The JV boys’ water polo team would go on to beat Miramonte once again, 11-8, in the following match.

The victory “definitely boosted our confidence; we feel pretty confident that we will hopefully win NCS [North Coast Section] and go on to state…” said Vranesh.

Crouch added how his team’s “chemistry is there, and [they] have the talent to win [their] games.”