Campo’s boys water polo team is fast, hungry, and looks to make a splash with new head coach Brodie Jasper.
The Cougars are 9-2 through their first eleven games and are ranked 6th in the nation* and hope to keep climbing.
Campo garnered some attention this fall among the high school water polo world, not only for the hot start they got off to, but also for their speed. Each year, water polo teams time their starting players – or any player who will get meaningful playing time – in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle. According to NCSA, a college sports recruitment site, “the best college water polo players typically swim a 50 and 100-yards freestyle in 22 and 48 seconds, respectively.” Campo had four players break at least one of those barriers, two broke both. Junior Alex Knudsen swam an incredible 21.46 in the 50-yard and 47.37 in the 100-yard. Senior Hayden O’Hare – a UCLA commit – swam 21.68 in the 50-yard and a 46.39 in the 100-yard, a time that would have made it to the state championships in 2023.
In a preseason rankings poll by high school water blog “Water Polo Exchange,” Campo is predicted to finish 14th in the country. “Water Polo Exchange” credits the estimated ranking to their speed, saying Campo “may be the fastest team in the country.” The blog also talks about how the Cougars have a strong senior class leading the way, with three players already committed to play college water polo. In addition to seniors, Campo also has an incredibly strong sophomore class, the blog says, noting that sophomores Ellis Culleton, Will Maguy and Cade O’Hare will play a big part for the Cougars this year.
So far, “Water Polo Exchange” has been spot on with their prediction about the sophomore class being a large part to the Cougars success. Cade O’Hare and Will Maguy are first and third on the team in goals scored this season. O’Hare also leads the team in steals, and points (which is a combination statistic of goals and assists).
Senior Dylan King believes this year’s early success stems from the intense training the team endured this summer and early on in the season. “A week before school, we had practice from 8-10 in the morning. We swam a total of 30,000 yards between five practices,” he said. “Our total is over 70,000 yards this season.” King says the team is playing more to a college training schedule, and he believes that over the next 3-4 years, a good portion of the team will be playing in college.
Three of the team’s seniors have already committed to play on top-ranked college teams. Hayden O’Hare is committed to the No.1 ranked UCLA Bruins. Garrett Chivers is committed to the No. 4 ranked Pepperdine Waves. Dylan King is committed to play for the No. 15 ranked Loyola Marymount Lions.
Hayden O’Hare credits the team’s incredible record and ranking this season to how the team works together. O’Hare also wanted to shout out an unsung hero for the Cougars, senior Eugene Park. “He’s the binding to our team. He’s the peanut butter to our jelly.”
Coach Brodie Jasper, who graduated from Campo in 1997, came into the job hoping to inspire and push the team to be one of the top programs in the state. Jasper says the team’s recipe for success so far has been a combination of talent, self confidence and a collective desire and determination to succeed.
“There is no stop in this team, mentally and physically, they just consistently give their best effort and find ways to make the right plays on both sides of the ball, ” he said. “We hope to continue to improve even more and finish just as strong in the second half of the season while we prepare for the NCS (North Coast Section) postseason.”
*all rankings mentioned in the article are from October 1, 2024. Rankings may have changed since then
