The off-season efforts of Diamond Bar High School varsity boys water polo paid off as the team improved its wins from last season’s 5 to this season’s 14.

“This year, we have a better grasp on how to play water polo and how to think ahead. I’ve noticed that we have begun to rely on each other more and we have a clearer vision of how to work together.” sophomore goalie Jeremy Barajas said via Facebook.

Prior to their Palomares League games, the team was quite successful with a preseason record of 11-5 consisting of their non-league and tournament games. However, the Brahmas struggled with their league games and finished with a final record of 0-8, failing to obtain a single win.

Although the athletes were defeated in the league games against Claremont, Bonita, Ayala, and Glendora by an average of eleven points, the team did comparatively well considering this is only its second year competing. Between their league games, the team participated in an additional five tournament games at the San Diego Open, and won three of them.

The Brahmas ended with an overall record of 14-15 in league, non-league, and tournament games, which is a great improvement over last season’s 5-22.

Participating in a newly introduced sport, the Brahmas had a couple of difficulties along the way, such as enforcing their offensive strategies. DBHS struggled to match their opponents in scoring for many of its games yet many players hope that this will change with experience.

“Our league was pretty tough, it was hard to implement the drills correctly against the tough teams, but when they were done correctly we would be successful in scoring,” junior set guard and driver Kristopher Chang said via Facebook.

The team hopes to improve next season by practicing various drills such as shooting in the correct area and setting players in certain formations to handle the ball depending on who they will face. In addition, the team will also focus more on expanding and developing the students’ knowledge of the game rather than the basic skills they focused on this year.

“This is just the beginning of building a strong successful program. We definitely improved from our inaugural season while also meeting the mental and physical challenges of a tougher practice and game schedule.” co-head coach Alexander Matal said via e-mail.

Despite the losses, the team has high hopes for next season. Many team members have seen improvement this season and believe that with more practice and experience, the Brahmas have a chance of becoming stronger in the future seasons to come.

“Our team is growing in terms of skill and energy must faster than I anticipated. Last year, we played, this year we competed, and next year I feel that we will be able to go head to head with top teams in our division.” Lee said.