The San Benito boys water polo team is said to be further along this year than they were last year at this time, a good sign considering a recent rule change could put them, and perhaps many other teams, in troubled waters early on.
The offensive shot clock was reduced by five seconds - from 35 to 30 - leaving teams with less time to swim the length of the pool, set up their attack, and take a high-percentage shot on net.
Haybalers head coach Tom Agan is concerned with the rule change, saying it rewards teams that possess fast swimmers.
"That five seconds is crucial," Agan said. "That's my biggest concern right now. We've changed the game, frankly massively, by taking away that five seconds on the shot clock.
"We have to really make an effort to get to the other end of the pool. If we're gonna run a front-court offense, we've got to do it quickly. You just don't have time to think about it. Everything has got to happen quicker than it used to."
The five-second rule change will be in effect for the girls water polo teams as well, and it should alter the games, especially early on in the season, for the teams that are not familiar with the faster game play.
Although San Benito goalkeeper Kyle Reuther may not see a tremendous difference at his position with the rule change, he said most of his teammates played under the 30-second shot clock this summer.
"It will make the game move faster, definitely," said Reuther, noting that field players will have to stay attentive. "Over the summer, I've been playing with a 30-second shot clock. Actually, a lot of us have been playing (with the 30-second shot clock). So it won't be too big of a change for us."
One factor that could come into play is the size of San Benito's pool. Measuring just 25 yards (22.86 meters), the pool is smaller than some of the 30-meter pools they'll see on the road. Coupled with the shorter amount of time to set up their offense, the 'Balers will simply have to make another adjustment when they're the visiting team.
"It's definitely a factor," Reuther said. "It just takes us longer to get down the pool and set up. I remember two summers ago when they first started playing over the summer with the 30-second shot clock, it was hard. Last summer, a lot of us we're used to it by then.
"Initially it's hard. But after a while, it becomes just part of the game."
The 'Balers will get their first taste of the 30-second shot clock this season when they host the Monterey Bay Tournament at their pool on the SBHS campus. San Benito will open with Robert Louis Stevenson at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.
After losing a good chunk of their team coming into last season, the Haybalers return a sizable portion this year. Anchored by Reuther in the cage and last season's leading scorer Jordan Schafer, who pocketed 33 goals, San Benito will also return their second leading scorer from last year, Ryan Whiteside, who scored 16 goals.
Sophomore Nick Angulo is expected to see some two-meter work as well, which is pretty rare, Agan added. Matt McCullough, Thomas Parcell, Ryan Agan and Eric Nicolaysen are also expected to contribute.
The 'Balers finished third in the Tri-County Athletic League last season while compiling an 11-13 overall record. Salinas was top dog and ran away with the league title with an undefeated mark, and expects to be a contender again this season as well.
Carmel will also be battling for the TCAL title, and Palma, now in its third season of playing water polo, will be rather respectable, Agan said.
"Last year, I knew going in that it was Salinas and nobody was gonna touch them (in the TCAL). This year, they're touchable," Agan said. "Carmel is the same thing. We can beat both those teams. We just need to be playing good polo that day."
Expecting the team to fully gel as the season progresses, Agan said winning and losing will be based on the team's counter-attack.
And that starts with the senior Reuther in the cage.
"He's gonna block a lot of shots. He's gonna be getting our counterattack down the pool. That's gonna be a lot of fun to watch," Agan said. "If these guys can take advantage of Kyle, and do a good job with the counterattack, we're gonna win a lot of water polo games."
Andrew Matheson Andrew Matheson is a sports writer for South Valley Newspapers. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 334 or at amatheson@svnewspapers.com.
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