Royal Good Enough for Victory but Snyder Remains Displeased

Water polo Coach Steve Snyder of Royal High stood stone faced and frustrated at the side of the pool after his team’s Marmonte League matchup with Agoura on Friday.

The Highlanders won, 10-7, but Snyder, ever the perfectionist when it comes to water polo, was not pleased with his team’s performance at Rancho Simi Community Pool.

The Highlanders (16-3, 3-0 in league) played solid defense when they needed to, and matched Agoura’s offensive bursts when they need to.

But it is the when they needed to part that concerns Snyder.

“We blew way too many opportunities,” Snyder said. “We couldn’t put shots away.”

Royal missed six open scoring opportunities where a Highlander was either alone at the two-meter position or had a fastbreak. The Highlanders also failed to score on five man-advantage situations.

But when they needed to, they played vintage Royal water polo: a stingy defense creating counter-attack opportunities. David Radka, Chris Richeson and Nate Ball each scored three times for Royal.

Agoura (15-4, 2-1) trailed 5-1 in the second quarter, and 5-2 at the half, but goals by Noah Cirincione and Noah Bookman pulled the Chargers to 5-4 midway through the third quarter.

Royal responded behind a strong defensive effort by Ball, who had two steals late in the fourth quarter. The Highlanders went up 8-5 on Radka’s third goal with 4 minutes 26 seconds remaining, and the teams traded goals from there.

Bookman scored four goals for the Chargers, all in the second half.

“This was a confidence builder for us,” said Agoura Coach Jason Rosenthal, whose team lost a tournament game to Royal, 12-6, earlier this season. “Each game we’re getting better and better.”

But Rosenthal is well aware that the road to the top goes through Royal, the 15-time Marmonte champion and defending Southern Section Division IV champion.

“We’re going to have to beat them eventually,” he said.

According to Snyder, that won’t be long if the Highlanders continue to play like they did Friday.

“It’s really frustrating,” Snyder said. “It’s the curse of the defending champion. We have kids just thinking they are the champions and that is enough. Our practices are indicative of that.”

Hey coach: You won.

“Yeah, but it was scary most of the time,” he said.