Dos Pueblos High School’s Boys Water Polo Team finished their season with a record of 18-12 after losing against the Capo Valley Cougars in the CIF DIV II semi-finals on Tuesday. The team lost 11-13, having made the semi-finals in each of the last three seasons. Grant Nelson (10) took the lead with four goals, and Lucas Neushul (10), Ben Fuhrer (11), and Aricin Marshall (11) each finished with two goals. Eli Carnaghe (11) scored one goal, and goal keeper Ethan Gelman (12) made nine saves.

The Chargers won 13-5 against Woodbridge High School in the Nov. 1 CIF DIV II second round. On Nov. 6, they secured another win of 12-10 against Santiago High School, allowing them to progress to the CIF Southern Section semifinals.

In the game against WHS, Fuhrer and Carnaghe both scored three goals, leading the Chargers. Meanwhile, Nelson and Neushul each made two goals, and Adam Gelman (10) and Liam Shea (11) scored one goal each. Tyler Racine (9) also scored one goal despite playing in the game for three minutes. Marshall supported the team with four assists, and Ethan Gelman held their opponents to five goals by making 10 saves during the game.

“It was a good effort,” Shea said. “[The team was] just … all on the same page and playing with chemistry. They all knew what they were going to do and they executed it.”

In the game against SHS, Neushul led the Chargers by scoring three goals. Additionally, Fuhrer, Carnaghe, Marshall, and Adam Gelman each scored two goals. Ethan Gelman managed to make seven blocks during the game as well.

“I think we played really well,” Carnaghe said. “The defense started clicking way more in the second half.”

Nelson explained that expectations for the team’s performance were low at the beginning of the season, due to this year being viewed as a “rebuild year” for the team. However, the Chargers became a “favorite” to win the CIF finals.

“Going into the semifinal game, we all have nothing to lose, so we’re excited,” Nelson said.

These wins would not have been possible without the players behind the team.

Racine has been playing water polo for three years. He began playing at club level and eventually wanted to join the DPHS water polo team.

“It’s something I’m really passionate about and something that I’ve gotten to really excel in and make some new friends and really improve myself as a person,” Racine said.

Racine said the most challenging part of water polo for him is being a freshman, as it means his size and strength are not the same as others on the team. Despite this, the other players have been “very welcoming and kind” to any freshman on the team.

“It’s cool sometimes to be the new guy, but also it can be … very exciting because you get to learn from all these amazing players,” Racine said.

According to Racine, he performed “pretty good” during the season. He managed to score some goals and make some assists even though he didn’t get to play very long.

“I may not play a whole lot, but when I do, I try to give my 100 percent,” Racine said.

Nelson was originally on a swim team at 10 years old. While he said he enjoyed swimming, he wanted more of a “team aspect” out of the sport. This led him to move from swimming to competitive water polo.

“I enjoyed it straight out the gate,” Nelson said. “All the practices [are] super fun. I’ve made really good friendships over the years, and it just keeps me going.”

Nelson said that playing through all four quarters was especially challenging this season. According to him, many on the team are young, meaning their starters are required to play through each game. While he said this can be “tiring,” the team is working to build up more skill and strength.

“We train hard to build up that stamina,” Nelson said.

Winning the semifinals against Ventura last year while being the “underdogs” of the game is Nelson’s favorite memory from playing water polo.

“It was super fun,” Nelson said. “The energy was crazy that game.”

Fuhrer, along with his brother and sister, participated in club swimming before switching over to water polo one by one. At first, Fuhrer played water polo because he was following what his siblings did, but his teammates are the reason he continues to play the sport after they both quit.

“I think everybody motivates each other,” Fuhrer said. “We all push each other equally to try our hardest and do our best, and then, we all just build off each other.”

The “mental aspect” is the most challenging part of water polo for Fuhrer. While the physical aspects provide their own challenges, Fuhrer said that most don’t realize how mental the sport is.

“More than [the physical] is being able to keep your head cool and … keeping track of where everybody is, remembering what needs to be done, how to run the plays,” Fuhrer said.

Fuhrer said he can’t pinpoint a favorite memory from water polo because he constantly has fun hanging out with his teammates.

“I love my teammates, and I think just any one moment is always great,” Fuhrer said.

Many of Fuhrer’s teammates — namely Racine, Shea, and Nelson — said that he deserves the most recognition for his accomplishments during this season of water polo.

“He’s definitely just a great player and an overall great person,” Racine said. “I definitely look up to him as a great role model for his skills in the pool and outside of water polo.”

“He’s a super hard worker,” Nelson said. “He’s gonna go places in the sport.”

Carnaghe became involved with water polo during COVID. Soccer wasn’t working out for him at the time, so his dad suggested that he play water polo instead.

“As soon as I started, I liked it,” Carnaghe said.

Carnaghe said the most challenging part of water polo for him is conditioning.

“It’s a lot of work,” Carnaghe said. “Even just warming up — it’s a lot of swimming.”

Like Nelson, one of Carnaghe’s favorite memories from being on the water polo team was the CIFs last year. He also included overnight trips and “just being to hangout with everyone” as favorite memories.

When Adam Gelman first moved to the Santa Barbara area, his older brother, Ethan Gelman, started playing water polo. Adam Gelman said this caused him to start playing, too.

“I was just trying to be like him, so I also picked it up,” Adam Gelman said. “The people there are really cool, so I just … kept doing it.”

Staying in shape all year was what Adam Gelman said is the most challenging part of water polo. However, he still enjoys playing the sport.

“It’s really fun if you take out the conditioning,” Adam Gelman said.

Due to an injury during the water polo season, Adam Gelman missed playing in a couple games. However, he said he believes that the team should perform “pretty good” next year due to their chemistry.

“The team’s been coming together really well,” Adam Gelman said. “I really like how the chemistry has been working.”

Like Nelson and Carnaghe, Adam Gelman’s favorite memory is winning the CIF semifinals against Ventura.

“[I] got to jump in the pool and celebrate with the team,” Adam Gelman said. “Even the SM kids who were playing the finals were pretty happy for us.”

Before moving to California, Ethan Gelman was on a competitive swim team, leading him to want to go into water polo. This is his first year on varsity as a goalie.

“I just really wanted to try out water polo, and then, I ended up really liking it,” Ethan Gelman said.

Like Fuhrer, Ethan Gelman said that the “mental game” is the most challenging aspect of water polo for him, specifically because of the position he plays.

“I think that’s a big aspect of water polo, especially as a goalkeeper, and it’s something I have to work on the most,” Ethan Gelman said.

During this season, there were many close games. Ethan Gelman thinks that he and his teammates still did “pretty well,” considering that much of the team are underclassmen. Ethan Gelman notes that he has improved throughout this season.

“I think, myself, I’ve gotten a lot better over the season, and that’s really exciting for me,” Ethan Gelman said.

Fuhrer and Carnaghe agreed that Ethan Gelman deserves the most recognition for his accomplishments this season. They said that Ethan Gelman has helped the team move forward in divisions through these efforts to continuously improve.

“At the beginning, he was not in the position that he’s been in now, [but] he’s gotten so much better, and he’s really carried this team,” Carnaghe said.

“He’s been pushing himself so hard this past year to play goalie, to improve,” Fuhrer said. “I think that he has truly worked the hardest out of everyone on the team.”

Adam Gelman also said that his brother deserves the most recognition on the team.

“He’s made such good progress,” Adam Gelman said. “He’s carrying the team.”

Ethan Gelman returned the sentiment to Adam Gelman, saying that he and other utility and defensive players tended to be “overlooked” despite being “a solid part” of the team dynamic.

“[Adam Gelman]’s a cheat code on defense [be]cause he’s our number one defensive player one on one,” Ethan Gelman said. “Every goalie wants a defender like that on their team.”