After Slow Start, Bonita Varsity Water Polo Cruises Past Charter Oak Late with 8-3 Win

The Bonita Varsity Water Polo Team rose to the occasion after Charter Oak threatened early.

It took a while for the powerful Bonita Varsity water polo team to leave port, but once the 14-man squad broke through midway through the third quarter, it was clear sailing for the Bearcats as they defeated Charter Oak, 8-3, at the Las Flores Aquatic Center on Thursday afternoon.

Charter Oak, the same team that lost to Los Altos, which Bonita had defeated earlier in the week, 20-3, took an early 1-0 and scored again late in the quarter to lead 2-1. Bonita’s only goal in the first came with 1::57 left off a long pass from senior goalie Joe Lamson to Alec Williams.

There was a ripple of concern from both the Bonita faithful and Bonita coach John Ashby, who couldn’t have been pleased by the sluggish start.

“The reason why we come out and play sports is because it’s a new day and anybody can beat anybody on any given day. Charter Oak played us hard. We made some defensive mental mistakes, which they capitalized on.

“They have some talented guys,” Ashby added. “Ryan Long is talented and demands respect when he’s out there on the water. Howard Hyde runs a good program, and they run a good system, and it broke us down in the first quarter.”

Coach Ashby shouts encouragement.

In the second, Bonita tied the game, 2-2, with 1:39 remaining, on a second goal from Williams, but two other attempts by Bonita in the closing seconds, including a shot at the half-ending buzzer, missed.

While Bonita’s offense seemed to be slighly out of synch, a buoyant Charter Oak was brimming with confidence, knowing it had evenly traded strokes withe the Bearcats in the first half.

In the third, Charter Oak again scored the first goal with 6:19 remaining to reclaim the lead, 3-2. Bonita responded with another goal from Williams skipping one in with 4:01 on the official timer, making it 3-3.

“Eventually, I think the guys decided they needed to wake up, even though it was 4 in the afternoon,” Ashby said.

At 3:23 left in the third, sophomore Keaton Renton found the net, giving Bonita its first lead, and then the scoring parade began in earnest for the Bearcats as they scored six unanswered goals to coast home with an 8-3 win.

On the afternoon, Williams had three goals, two assists, six steals, and five kick-outs. Renta also had three goals. Sophomores Caleb Guarino and Alex Munson had a goal apiece.

“Williams really stepped up and played well,” Ashby said. “Brandon Parlopino is another who did a fantastic job. He scored a few goals and got a couple good assists to Williams in the inside. His work ethic has really been staggering this year as well. And Joe Lamson didn’t let anything easy really go in today.

Goalie Joe Lamson played his usual stellar defense, helping hold Charter Oak scoreless about the last 10 minutes of the game.

“So we had some leadership from our older guys today,” Ashby.

Bonita has lost one league game in the last 18 years, so anytime a league opponent has the Bearcats playing from behind, that’s headline-breaking news that can put extra pressure on Ashby.

“I try not to think about it [pressure],” Ashby said. “There are four quarters in water polo – 28 minutes. You have to focus on those 28 to win the game. You can’t rest on your laurels. I’m never counting anything out. We come out every single time and work hard.”

Bonita has lost several games this season by one or two points, so he would like his team develop more of a killer instinct as the CIF playoffs approach.

“We have to learn to close teams out,” Ashby said. “I feel like they did that, and closed the door on Charter Oak today. We didn’t score as many goals or beat them by a sizable margin, but a “W” is a “W.”

Bonita is now 3-0 in league and 9-9 overall, playing one of the Southland’s toughest schedule.