By Michael Wojtychiw
Getting off to a good start, whether it be in a season or in a game, is always important.
To say Jones/Payton’s girls water polo season has gotten off to a resounding start may be an understatement.
The Greagles, a combination of the two schools’ team nicknames, have gotten off to a perfect start and were looking to continue that when they faced off with Young on Wednesday at the Dolphins’ pool. And much like last year, when the two programs combined for two games that were both decided by three goals or less, the Dolhpins and Greagles faced off in yet another classic, with Jones/Payton pulling out the 10-7 road win to stay undefeated at 11-0.
“This was good for us because we might be looking at them later in the season in the city playoffs and it’s a conference game first,” Jones/Payton’s Nita Thaci said. “This gave us a good feel of what their game is and how they work. Our chemistry helped us pull it out.”
“This is huge,” Jones/Payton coach Mac Varilla said. “We’ve found success this season and last season but there’s still a long way to go and we have to stay motivated.
“We’ve really just simplified things for our players this year and a lot of girls’ games have just grown this year. We’ve got players who can score a lot of goals, but to have players buy in to play together, it helps them get better.”
Thaci was the driving force, especially early for Jones/Payton. The senior scored three of her match-high six goals in the first eight minutes of the game, helping her squad get out to a 5-2 lead in the second period.
“It was really my teammates,” she said when asked about what was working for her that day. “They were able to recognize the slough and get the ball around to where it needed to be when I’m open, see when I’m not.”
And with her team up 7-5 with 3:14 remaining in the third period, she scored the Greagles’ last three goals of the game.
Jones/Payton held a 5-2 lead midway through the second quarter before the Dolphins’ defense stood tall and allowed only one goal over a nearly 10-minute stretch, while the offense mounted its own comeback.
Arielle Winston, Valeria Reyes and Betsy Kittrell scored to cut the lead to 6-5 with 3:30 left in the third quarter. But that didn’t deter Jones/Payton. In fact, Varilla didn’t even call a timeout to settle his squad.
“I think that’s come with maturity on both my end and the players’ end,” the coach said about not calling a timeout. “We just have to play through it, you can’t always just rely on calling a timeout. Regroup.”
“We just calmed each other down because it had gotten really intense and we weren’t playing our game,” Thaci said. “Once we realized it got that close, we told each other to play our game and not their game and to rely on each other and communicate in the water.
“We knew if we could do that, we could get that score back up.”
One example of why Jones/Payton has been so successful is that it has been able to move players around from position to position.
For example, Thaci played in the slot but then also moved out to the wings where she and her teammates were able to be dangerous with outside shots.
“On our team, a lot of us can take the role to go into the middle,” Thaci said. “So we don’t really designate it to one person. It helps that we have that variety because we can each play multiple positions well.
“When they drop down, we recognize that and then get the ball to our outside players to see if they’ll close in. If they do, we find the open player for the shot.”
“For me, it’s all about giving the players different skills,” the coach said. “When you play teams later in the season, you have to add different wrinkles. You can’t just go to your spot, your position. You have to be positionless.
“We’re trying to get them to be able to play everywhere. Get them to play the perimeter, get them to drive, post up. Give them options and opportunities.”
Photos by Jim Vincent/OSA
