Area Water Polo Teams Are Set To Begin Season

Among the many spring sports teams getting started on practice in the past couple of weeks, area water polo squads are jumping in the pool to kick off their seasons.

John Burroughs

The return from a big turnaround year in 2010, which saw them rack up a 17-9-1 record. After compiling only seven wins the year before, 2010 marked a significant improvement, and coach Steve Stiffelman hopes to build on the progress in 2011.

“We won the Summit tournament last season, and we took first place in the Challenge Cup, so last season was a huge accomplishment, and we’re excited about our prospects for 2011,” said Stiffelman.

Burroughs returns a pair of seniors this season in Greg Emmenegger, and Scott Steinhouse. Additionally, Stiffelman pointed to juniors Jason Gusdorf, Jacob Waterman, and Andy Zhou as players he expects to make significant contributions.

A couple of highly anticipated freshmen join the team this season, in Daniel Diemer and Nathan Hicks.

The Bombers open up their season against Lafayette, March 29th, at home. They will then face Ft. Zumwalt West, Eureka, and University City, in defense of the Summit Invitational Tournament title, during the first week of April.

“We want to swim hard…St. Louis is known for a sitting style of water polo, and we want to try and swim hard, play strong defense and score a lot of goals,” said Stiffelman.

Ladue

The graduated nine seniors last season, so 2011 looks to be a rebuilding year for the Ladue water polo squad. Coach Corey Miller hopes the team can improve on its .500 record from 2010, and they’ll look to junior Salman Mahmood, senior Max Wahl, and junior goalkeeper Danny Magruder for leadership.

Senior Jessie Lustman, who Miller refers to as a physically tough player, adds to the co-ed makeup of the team, and will help the Rams solidify their defense.

“We’re hoping to create more of a team style defense this season, and Jessie will help us with that…we also expect strong performances from junior Forrest Donnell, and senior Mark Perkins,” said Miller.

Ladue will kick things off with a bang, playing top local teams, SLUH, and De Smet, in the opening games of the season. The SLUH matchup takes place on the road March 15th, and then the Rams host De Smet on March 17th.

MICDS

Coming off a strong season in 2010, in which the squad posted an 18-10 record and finished fifth overall in the state tournament, the Rams have high expectations for 2011. 

Coach Don Casey points to senior captains Henry Stupp, John Orland and Ted Condie as key contributors for the team this season. Condie, who was named as an all-district player last season, will provide scoring punch for . Additionally, Casey looks to sophomores Lundsford Schock, goalkeeper Jimmy Desvain, and Billy Barnes as likely starters for the Rams.

“We have a lot of good experience coming back with the exception of our goalkeeping…Jimmy (Desvain) is an outstanding passer, and if he can match that with shot blocking skills, he will have a great year,” said Casey.

MICDS is cautiously optimistic about freshman Tommy Stupp, who will come off the bench to aid the Rams. Stupp is a part of the Olympic Development Program, and as such expectations are high for his high school career.

The Rams keep it simple in terms of strategy, and rely primarily on solid execution for success. They have enough talent up front to score in bunches, and with an experienced core of seniors the prospects for a strong season are high.

MICDS starts the season in Illinois, at the Stevenson Invitational (March 25-26), in which they’ll face a trio of top squads from that state. The Rams debut in St. Louis on March 29 in a conference game on the road against Chaminade.