Forty-three young men at Point Loma High School (PLHS) have decided to pool their talents in an effort to raise achievement in one of the toughest prep sports offered. Water polo, essentially controlled hand-to-hand combat, requires a level of conditioning unlike virtually any other sport. That may explain why the sport is on the rise at PLHS under third-year head coach Jeff Hunt. Gerry Rich, a retired PLHS teacher, assists Hunt. “We have a huge turnout (15) of freshmen,” Hunt said, presenting a travel challenge for the non-driving teens. The Pointers’ home pool is Bud Kearns Pool at Morley Field in Balboa Park, meaning team members must somehow make the 11-mile trek each way (no district transportation is provided) for daily practices. Hunt assumed the reins of the Lady Pointer team in 2008 before moving to the boys’ side last season. The boys’ team finished 12-16 overall (2-4 in Eastern League) in his first season — tied for fourth place. This season, however, the Pointers already stand at 8-6 in non-league play with a 22-8 victory over Chula Vista in their most recent match, marking their season scoring high. “We should have a pretty good (league title) shot,” Hunt said. Hunt calls Patrick Henry the favorite in “a pretty evenly-ranked” league. Point Loma faced them in a recent tournament and lost 11-10 on a goal with only four seconds remaining. Other Eastern League teams are Serra, Scripps Ranch and University City, where Hunt earned all-CIF honors as a prep student before moving on to play for the water polo team at the University of California, San Dieo, where he earned his degree in 2008. During two-and-a-half hour practices every weekday, “I’m pretty tough on the kids,” Hunt said, “especially in the beginning part of the season.” He has to be. Opponents will be attempting to drown them in eight feet of water and Hunt knows the importance of conditioning. A typical workout begins with 30 minutes of stretching and pushups, followed by 1,500 yards of high-intensity swimming. Next, the players spend 20 minutes on “egg beaters,” a grueling effort to tread water while holding weighted objects — including bricks — over their heads. The balance of the workout is spent on passing, shooting and other game-like situations. The top scorer for the Pointers last year (79 goals) and this season to date is senior Bryan Valone (48 goals, 10 assists). Fellow senior Graham Scribner (36, 14) is also a standout, and freshman Andrew Brady’s skills (17, 16) have drawn Hunt’s attention. Senior goalkeeper Thomas Penney is solid in the nets, Hunt said. Other team members include seniors Nathan Hoppe and Jake La Dow; juniors Nate Ellison, Olin Paine, Ryan Shoemaker and Jake Reynolds; sophomores are Brett Stewart, Kye Miranda, Chris Black, Kasey Dring, Max Daubner and Myles Hopkins; and freshman Anthony Farris. Several members of the Pointers’ national championship sailing team are also polo players. “We all love the water,” La Dow said. “It just works out perfectly. The two sports are totally different, but water polo keeps us in amazing physical condition, which helps us in sailing.” The Pointers continue league matches Friday, Oct. 8 at home against Scripps Ranch and Wednesday, Oct. 13 in a showdown with Patrick Henry, also at the Bud Kearns Pool. Matches begin at 3 p.m. WATER POLO 101 Varsity matches consist of six swimmers and a goalkeeper. Games are divided into four quarters lasting only seven minutes (using stoppage time) apiece. Total match time is about an hour. Players attempt to throw a ball into an opponent’s net, but as the ball is passed around the pool, it’s anything but peaceful beneath the surface. “There’s wrestling, grabbing, punching and stuff,” said Jeff Hunt, third-year head coach for Point Loma High School, “most of which the referees can’t see.” Regular fouls result in a free pass by the opposing team. Exclusionary fouls (made by a defender from behind an offensive player) require the offending player to swim to a designated pool corner for 20 seconds. His team plays a man short for that period. While 20 seconds doesn’t sound significant, Hunt said that is time for several passes and a shot, giving the team with the extra man a true advantage. A player charged with three exclusionary fouls is automatically disqualified from the game.