This past weekend on October 3 and 4, the Granada boy’s varsity water polo team traveled to a Castro Valley 501 Tournament to play four games over the span of two days, two on Friday and two on Saturday. Hosted at Encinal Aquatic center at Encinal Jr. High School, Granada won a total of 3 out of 4 games, with the final challenge being against Castro Valley, which saw Granada successful in a 13-10 game. 

Granada played to their strengths in the first game, dominating American High 12-4, but started to lose their focus when it came to playing Alameda High School, which saw Granada down by 13 in the final score. 

Field player Bryce Rivera (11), had this to say about the team’s overall performance against Alameda.

“Our defense was kind of not there, we let a few counters in, but I think we played pretty well against them, they are like 16 and 0 and they’re going D1 in NCS.” 

On Saturday the 4th, Granada came back and brought their A game, beating both Bishop O’Dowd and Castro Valley. 

“I thought we played really well. We knew going in that we were probably going to lose to Alameda anyways, and I think us winning at Castro Valley really put us forward because they are a really good team,” said Goalkeeper Samuel Nicholson (11), who is ranked 29th in the state of California. 

Although the team lost to Alameda, in interviews with players, the team expressed their love for these tournaments, stating how they are crucial to team success and how they serve as a way to bond the team together. 

“I think the more games we play the better we learn each other’s play styles and the better we learn how to play with each other.”

Granada placed 5th with 3-0 in the tournament, and overall played to their strengths, showing how far the team has come since previous years, and providing a promising future for the boys team.