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Varsity-alumni game starts Warriors' girls water polo season

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

A varsity-alumni game Nov. 27 started the 2021-22 season for Fallbrook High School’s girls water polo team.

Twelve current players participated on the varsity. Approximately 15 alumni returned to the Fallbrook High School pool. The alumni girls were all in college, including medical school, although not necessarily playing collegiate water polo.

“They’re all still in school,” said Fallbrook coach Sean Redmond. “We didn’t have anybody from way back when.”

The alumni won this year’s game. “I don’t think the alumni have ever lost a game,” said Redmond, who has been the Warriors’ girls coach since the 2011-12 season.

Redmond coached the varsity during the alumni game while the alumni coached themselves.

Practice for girls water polo began Nov. 8. Redmond did not need to make any cuts, as 22 girls tried out. “I would always like more, but I’m excited with the girls we have,” he said.

Some of the 12 girls who played for the varsity may participate in junior varsity competition. Many of the 10 girls on the junior varsity team are new to the sport. “That’s always exciting to get new players out,” Redmond said.

Six of the varsity players were on the 2020-21 varsity. Depending on the opponent, either three or four of those were starters.

In 2014, Fallbrook was moved to the Valley League. The Warriors won six league championships in their seven Valley League seasons and compiled a 34-1 record against league opposition with a 2018 loss to Ramona giving the Bulldogs that year's championship as well as the only league victory against Fallbrook during the Warriors' time in the league.

The boys volleyball North County Conference leagues were realigned for the 2016 season based on competitive balance, and in 2020 the North County Conference planned to realign leagues in all sports based on competitive balance although the coronavirus restrictions delayed that for some sports. The North County Conference has moved Fallbrook to the Palomar League for girls water polo, so the Warriors will have tougher league opposition this season.

Playing against older and more experienced players during the alumni game thus prepared the current Fallbrook girls for Palomar League and other play. “We’re going to see a lot of what went on today,” Redmond said. “We’ve got not an easy schedule coming up.”

The Warriors only have one regular-season tournament for 2021-22; the San Diego Open will be played in late January. Because all Division I teams qualify for the CIF playoffs, Fallbrook will also participate in the CIF tournament following the conclusion of the regular season.

Fallbrook was supposed to have a scrimmage at home against San Pasqual which was cancelled that day when San Pasqual coach Heather Calvin learned that no bus was available to take the Golden Eagles to Fallbrook and that no alternate transportation could be arranged on such short notice. The varsity-alumni game was thus Fallbrook’s first game against another team. “This was probably more like our scrimmage,” Redmond said.

The game showed Redmond where the Warriors need to improve. “It’s still a learning process, learning where your teammates are, getting a good pass to them, and learning to be able to work through fatigue, so I think it was a good learning experience for them to do that,” he said.

 

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