By : Elijah Zelonky

The water polo Patriots are ready to rebound after last season’s 2012 championship game against the Pacific Palisades where the Patriots fought hard but came up short, losing by 3 points.

This year, two water polo players representing Daniel Pearl Magnet High School are going to be playing for Birmingham Community Charter High School’s varsity water polo team. Newcomer junior Anthony Dracic and returning water polo member sophomore Max Grinfield are determined to have different results for the team this season.

“Our focus this year is quickness and consistency,” Dracic said. “ A lot of teams are not as big as us, but they are quicker. We lost last year because we weren’t fast enough. This year, one of our goals is to improve upon our quickness so we can contend better and win a championship.”

The team is off to a great start, winning their first game this season 15-8 against Granada Hills Community Charter High School on Sept. 6.

“We think we’ll be decent in the beginning, and as we get more and more experience, we are going to be a bigger contender,” Dracic said. “As the season progresses, we need to improve upon our agility and passing skills.”

Dracic himself is one of the big, overpowering players.

Grinfield claims to be more of a quick, rather than big player, starting at 5-foot-4. But that doesn’t mean his expectations aren’t big.  According to Dracic, the team knows their strengths and weaknesses and they’re dedicated to getting the best out of everyone.

“This year’s team looks really good so far,” Grinfield said. “We won the first game and got off to a really good start, so things are looking great.”