DOWNEY - The Downey High School boys' water polo team has gotten off to a 7-1 start after competing in the Los Altos Tournament this past weekend and taking second place.The Vikings lost to Temecula Valley 9-6 in the Final. In the games leading up to the championship match, Downey defeated West Torrance 14-3, Carpenteria 13-7, Helix 13-7 and West Hills 11-5. Key returners to this year's team include co-captains Danny Webb and goalkeeper James Morrison. Other key returners include Peter Roldan, Andrew Rezk, Richard Gomez and David Lumbreras. Coach Delhousay also said that junior Nick Rodriguez and sophomore Ryan Cruz have been nice additions and will certainly be key players in the future of Downey water polo. Coach Delhousay maintains that league play has always been difficult and every game is very important in league when driving for the playoffs in November. Cerritos was the San Gabriel Valley League champion last year with a league record of 5-0, Downey was second at 4-1 and Warren took third place at 3-2. Downey will open league play against cross-town rival Warren at Downey on Oct. 2. Coach Delhousay concluded by saying, "I'm very proud of this team and look forward to the rest of the season. They have trained very hard since the beginning of the summer and are looking forward to finishing the season strong." Coach Delhousay is anticipating a strong showing in league play and making a nice run in the C.I.F. Division IV playoffs.

********** Published: September 20, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 23