The boys water polo team defeated Orange Lutheran High School 16-11 in its fifth game of the season Saturday. The team has gone 4-1 overall this year, with victories against Crespi, Oaks Christian and Loyola High School.

Baxter Chelsom ’23 said he enjoyed playing the sport in-person and competing against other teams while taking advantage of improvements from preparation and training throughout the year.

“The pandemic has given the team and I a great opportunity to focus a lot more on the tactical and mental parts of water polo,” Chelsom said. “Our bodies may have been a little bit out of shape when we came back, but our minds were as sharp as ever.”

Jeffrey Koretz ’23 said he was happy to play with his team in-person after a year of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions that kept them out of the pool.

“It feels great to be playing in person,” Koretz said. “These last few games have been my first time competitively playing with my team in the last year.”

Koretz said much of the team participated in beach workouts this year to stay active and followed guidance from their coach to ensure that their improvements contributed to a successful game.

“We started off strong during the first quarter and continued to pursue the same momentum throughout the game,” Koretz said. “Our team was aggressive but also patient.”

Chelsom said he hopes the team will continue to be successful and prove that younger classes of Wolverines will maintain the momentum.

“We have a few main goals for this season,” Chelsom said. “One of them is to do everything we can to give our graduating seniors the season they deserve. Also, after a big part of our team graduated last year, we want to show the other teams that Harvard-Westlake doesn’t have rebuilding years.”

The Wolverines will face St. Francis High School at home for their next game on March 16.