September 1, 2005

Leland boys’ water polo talented starting lineup returns
with more experience and hunger

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Leland boys’ water polo team has only one thing on its collective minds—beat Mount Pleasant—and with good reason.

Members of the Leland boys’ water polo team practice blocking while employing egg-beater kicks during an Aug. 29 practice at Leland. The Chargers finished in second place in the Mt. Hamilton Division in 2004, their only two losses at the hands of the Mt. Pleasant Cardinals. Photo by Diego Abeloos

Last season, the Chargers were undefeated in Blossom Valley Athletic League play except for two losses to Mount Pleasant, keeping the Chargers at bay in second place in the Mt. Hamilton Division. In fact, the Cardinals have been the only team to spoil the party for the Chargers in their four years in the BVAL, having gone undefeated against other BVAL opponents since joining the league.

“We’re looking to beat Mount Pleasant; that’s all I care about in league,” Leland Head Coach Mike Monsees said. “There’s nobody else I’m worried about.”

If anything, this season will certainly be an entertaining one for the Chargers, who are returning all but one starter to the lineup. Monsees said he is confident in his team and hasn’t let the off-season go to waste. After the close of the 2004 season, Monsees and his players participated in several off-season tournaments with his club team, the San Jose-Almaden Water Polo Club, playing a total of 44 games throughout the winter, spring and summer in various parts of the country and against team from the U.S. and Canada. In short, the result of this off-season activity is a well-conditioned team with more experience to lean on throughout the 2005 season.

“They’ve gained two years of experience in one year,” Monsees said. “They wanted to perform this next year (2005). So, they’ve put in the time and I think we’ve stepped up. We’ll be a lot tougher this year than we were last year.”

In terms of the starting lineup, only goalkeeper Dustin Prosser is gone, having graduated at the end of last school year. In Prosser’s absence, the job of manning the cage falls to Eric Hsu, a sophomore with plenty of potential, according to Monsees.

“He’s got remarkable quickness; I spotted that as a freshman when he first came out,” Monsees said of Hsu. “He played frosh/soph ball last year and as the season went on, he just got better. We’re looking forward to a lot from Eric.”

In total, the Chargers lost six players from last season’s squad but aside from Prosser, none of the other five were starters. Instead, Monsees went with a young lineup featuring mainly juniors and sophomores and thrived in BVAL play. This year, the same starting group returns to make another run at CCS playoff contention.

“Because we have such a strong group, they’re looking at the wins,” Monsees said. “ … These guys are in the mood to win.”

Among those who have made an impression on Monsees is junior Raymond LaRochelle, a returning starter from 2004. Listed at 180 pounds as a sophomore last season, Monsees said LaRochelle now weighs in at more than 200 pounds and is an imposing force to help lead the offense.

“Last year we lacked a hole player,” Monsees said. “Last year we had a little sophomore in LaRochelle in the hole at the time and we really couldn’t bring the ball in and play front court like we can this year. He’s got the strength and his whole focus has been to bring the team forward.”

With a talented group of returning players back in the fold for 2005, the bar has been set high for the Chargers as the season approaches. Those expectations begin and end with Monsees, who believes his team has what it takes to be an elite team in the BVAL.

“We’re not looking at making it into CCS this year,” Monsees said. “We’re looking to playing in CCS again. The top four is our target.”