Jungle Cat Water Polo

2016 Junior Olympic 16U JO Team. Photos courtesy of Charles Jellinek (@charlesjellinek).

The Cats had a great 2016 expedition to USAWP Junior Olympics in California, going 5-3 overall and taking 13th in the Bronze Division of the 16U JO tournament. Not only did the team play well, but they also had a lot of fun when not in the pool. Here is a summary of our trip and the games that we played:

Thursday, July 21 We were supposed to end up in California and scrimmage/practice with SHAQ (who made it to the 16U championship game) and 680 (who made it to the 18U championship game). Instead, our flights were cancelled, and we ended up in airports throughout the United States. The bulk of the team made it to Denver, where we were stranded for eight hours. In that time, some players stayed at the airport. Others trekked into the city of Denver and explored the city for a few hours. There, we visited the state capital, the original Chipotle, and Denver University.

We made the best out of the situation, and we had an enjoyable time hanging out and waiting for our flights. Eventually, we all made it to San Jose, either by car from Oakland or flying into San Jose.

Friday, July 22 After the long day on Thursday, the team took Friday to explore San Francisco and relax before starting play at JO. While in San Francisco, the team took in Lombard Street and explored the Twin Peaks.

We also visited the Golden Gate Bridge, and we drove past Fisherman’s Wharf. The team then headed back to the Fairfield Inn to relax and prepare for the upcoming slate of games.

Saturday, June 23 Games begin!

Game 1: Elite 14, Jungle Cats 7 The Cats opened play by falling to a physical Elite team 14-7. The Cats were unable to execute a successful team offense against Elite’s aggressive style of play. Joe Jellinek scored five of the team’s seven goals. Solomon Cohen and Alec Zhou played well in goal and kept the score from being more lopsided than it was.

Game 2: Kingfish 13, Jungle Cats 4 Physical play continued to disrupt JCWP’s offense. While the team scored four goals, the team missed multiple chances that could have made the game closer. In the end, two goals from Jellinek and tallies from Larson and Mattingly were not enough to beat the strong Kingfish squad. 

Sunday, July 24 Game 3: Jungle Cat 12, Rain City 3 The Cats had a strong start to day two, beating Rain City by the score of 12-3. The Cats won every quarter, never giving up more than one goal per quarter. Struckhoff, Larson, Jellinek, and Mattingly all had multiple scores, and the team surpassed their goal total from day one with success on the offensive end. The team was also perfect on its odd man opportunities, converting both 6-on-5s and its lone penalty shot. Solomon Cohen also had a strong half, stopping multiple strong chances for Rain City.

Game 4: Jungle Cats 18, Viper Pigeon 7 The Cats met their friends from Houston in game two of day two and took home the victory, winning 18-7. The Cats got goals from 9 of their 12 field players and five from Thomas Larson in route to the convincing victory.

With some time to kill in the seven hour break between games, the team visited the Henry Cowell Redwood Forest.

The team relaxed in the presence of beautiful redwood trees. It was a relaxing setting, as the redwood forest provided shade and cooler temps for relaxing.

These redwood trees were so big that we were able to fit the whole team inside of one of them. Check it out: https://twitter.com/charlesjellinek/status/757334534652256256

After the redwood forest, we took a trip up the Pacific Coast Highway and visited the beach for a bit before heading for dinner and preparing for our next game.

Game 5: Golden State 12, Jungle Cats 4 The team’s most lackadaisical performance of the tournament came against a Golden State team. Probably due to the long day, the team lacked energy in the pool, mustering only four goals. But, the team did witness an Oscar-worthy performance from the referee, who wanted to make his presence known by issuing a yellow card to both Struckhoff and Coach Ray. Nevertheless, the team won the fourth quarter 3-1, with nice goals from Fields, Everts, and Meyer. After this game, the team went home for a well-deserved rest.

Monday, July 25 Game 6: Jungle Cats 12, Longhorn 5 In the sloppiest game of the tournament, the Cats beat the Longhorns 12-5. Lack of focus contributed to a 4-4 score at halftime. But, the Cats won the second half 8-1, with a strong performance by Solomon Cohen, battling both the Longhorns and the pool filter system. Jellinek added six goals, including a penalty shot drawn by Mattingly on a nice entry pass from Nozka.

Game 7: Jungle Cats 8, Valley 7 The Cats had their best game of the tournament by beating Valley 8-7. The Cats came out strong, with important first quarter goals from Wachter, Jellinek, and Piles. Tallies from Burke and Larson gave the Cats a 5-3 lead at half. A bad third quarter, with two ejections and one penalty shot, led to a tied 5-5 game heading into the fourth quarter. After a strong defensive stand, the Cats got the ball with 20 seconds left in the game. After using a TO, the Cats set up a play to win the game. An errant pass seemed likely to send the game to OT, but a great steal by Jellinek set up a goal by Larson with two seconds left. The Cats had their signature win and best game of the tournament. The team recorded eight goals from six different players, and stalwart defense and goaltending allowed the Cats to defeat their first California opponent. Alec Zhou had an incredible save worth noting when he kept the ball out of the cage after stuffing a player and then getting pulled over as the opponent tried to put it in.

Game 8: Jungle Cat 12, Santa Barbara 805 6 The Cats finished JOs with another strong game. The Cats went up 6-2 by half, and then they sped to a 12-6 victory. Game highlights included the Santa Barbara coach breaking his clipboard in disgust as the Cats dominated his team.

Overall Field Player Stats: Name-Goals/Ejections Jellinek-26/7 Struckhoff-6/2 Fields-4/2 Burke-5/4 Larson-14/4 Wachter-1/3 Baldes-1/4 Mattingly-10/2 Everts-2/1 Piles-4/2 Nozka-2/0 Meyer-2/0

Overall, it was a great week for the Cats!! Thanks to all of the parents and families who came out to California with us, and thanks to all of those who supported the team back in STL. I think everyone had a lot of fun and learned a lot!! We represented MOWP and JCWP well. Just from watching the team, it was evident that we were better both individually and as a team by the end of the tournament. I enjoyed hanging out with these boys and enjoyed seeing them grow this week. It was a great trip!!

See you all around the pool. Go Cats!!

Packed audience last night at Chaminade as the Kittens took on the South County Powerhouse Flyers water polo.  It was an exciting back and forth game with the Cats taking an early 6-3 lead.  The flyers clawed back creating a 9-6 deficit for the Cats.  But, shooting deep and relying on their horses the Cats scored 3 in the fourth to come away with the tie.

The thing I was most excited about while running the clock and scorers table was the excitement and passion I saw among our players.  For all the “get off the bottoms”  “go back to defense” “what are you doing” I was every excited to see how everyone went 100% during the game.  I saw kids swimming hard, press blocking, countering, looking to help, throwing cross goal passes that lead to goals.  It was great.  Win, lose, or tie it was a great 1st game for most of our players.

Jungle Cat Green (5) Slap 16 Gold (14)

Jungle Cat Green (6)  Slap 16 Blue (10)

Jungle Cat Green (4) Flyer White (11)

A few simple fixes would make us a way more competitive team.  We have been hammering home the idea of passing lane defense in Kittens/Cubs practice yet we struggle to see it convert into a game situation.  Again playing in the lane is a mindset.  It doesn’t take a lot of water polo skill to take 2-3 strokes, to get between your man and the ball.  I feel like if we do this well then everything will fall into place for us.

Offensively we look a lot better.  I have seen some great 2 meter play as of late.  A nice sweep shot, great posting up and holding a positive set.  We are consistently moving the ball down the right side of the pool.  I would like to see us get the ball down a bit quicker so that we have a bit more time to run our offense.  My one critique on the offensive end involves counter attack.  When working on 2-1 and 3 on 2s in practice we never swam straight down the pool.  We always broke out to recieve the ball and then went and attacked the goal.  I see often our goalies throwing 50/50 balls down the pool as someone counters straight at the goal.  It seems more often then not to end up in the opposing goalies hands and becomes a wasted opportunity.  So, remember to break at angle and look and call for the ball if you are open.

Man up offense and defense needs a lot of work but of course we have not touched on that this winter.  We will get there.  Be patient.

Welcome back....a rough start, followed by an exciting finish.  For many of you it was the first game you have ever played in.  A bit eye opening compared to the game speed etc. that we might be used to at practice.  Everyone did great.

Offense

We struggled to run a set offense but again this is something we have not worked on in practice yet so I did not expect much in this category.  Our veteran members of the sport worked hard to run something....anything....my only advice to them would be to set deeper when in front of the net.  We need to be close to the goal in order to score.  Our offense was ignited in the second half by our....

DEFENSE

Before the game started we discussed press block and passing lane.  I told everyone I cared about nothing else.  It was not until half that we really bought into getting in the lanes.  Once we did this it fed our counterattack offense and we started to score goals.  Always work to get between your man in the ball.  Every once in a while you might be burned but the majority of the time we will get turnovers.  Some of us need to make sure we come all the way back.  At times we had people stop and look around on the whistle when they could be taking more strokes back to defense to match up with someone that is close to the goal.  If you are worried about getting beat back then leave early.  A great quote by Coach Sigman “If you are not in the play....go the other way!!”

What we need to work on....

--Coming all the way back on defense

--Cross the ball instead of shooting at the goalie

--Stamina in swimming up and down the pool

--Look to help in the middle

--Have our more experienced players guard the 2 meter position

--If you want the ball communicate!!

--Drive thru on offense

See everyone Saturday

Photos Courtesy of Charles Jellinek (@charlesjellinek)

The Jungle Cat 16U team concluded a great week in Orange County with a win over Pride, finishing Junior Olympics 15th in the Bronze Division. While the team went 3-6 overall, the team was in every game, and the team improved throughout. I think everyone that went on the trip grew as a player and learned something that they could bring back with them to St. Louis. Here are brief summaries of each of our games:

Game 1: Pride 14, JCWP 11

JCWP started off slow with a tough loss to SoCal’s own Pride Water Polo. Inability to prevent Pride’s best players from scoring (13 of the 14 goals came from three players) and an inconsistent defensive effort allowed Pride to jump out to an 8-4 lead at half. However, JCWP won the second half 7-6 after committing to a goal-side press defense. Brandon Trusler put together a strong performance, scoring four goals, including two 5Ms. Joe Jellinek added three goals.

Game 2: JCWP 12, Viper Pigeon South 3

JCWP had a much better effort in game two, defeating Viper Pigeon South (Houston, TX) 12-3. JCWP played a much better defensive game, sparking the offense in route to JCWP’s best offensive performance of the tournament. Nick Mattingly and Joe Jellinek notched three goals, while Patrick Storey added two (including a nice goal on 6-on-5) and Colby Ritchie added one. Kyle Irvine also played well, countering hard against VP.

Game 3: West Suburban 7, JCWP 4

In a rematch from the JO qualifier, a tired JCWP squad matched their qualifier score and lost to West Sub (Naperville, IL). Phillip Harter played a spectacular game for the Cats in net, keeping JCWP in the game. He, along with the solid JCWP defense, also held West Sub scoreless in two quarters. However, JCWP’s inability to score against West Sub’s spectacular goalie sealed JCWP’s fate.

Game 4: Newport Beach 10, JCWP 7

After falling behind 8-2 at half to Newport Beach (California), JCWP won the second half by the score of 5-2. Thomas Nordmann added three goals, while another strong effort by Phillip Harter in goal kept JCWP in the game.

Game 5: Modesto Stanislaus 9, JCWP 7

Two goals each from Trusler, Jellinek, and Larson helped propel the JCWP offense, which fell just short of beating Modesto Stanislaus (Modesto, CA).

Game 6: San Diego Shores 8, JCWP 4 After a long day at Tesoro High School, JCWP had trouble mustering much offense in their day two finale. Strong defense, particularly from John Burke and Thomas Nordmann in 2M, and numerous others on the perimeter, including Mattingly, Ritchie, and Storey, put JCWP in a position to win, but missed opportunities, hurt JCWP.

Game 7: JCWP 7, Academy 6

In the most poorly refereed game of the tournament by far, JCWP showed tremendous grit in grinding out a win against Academy (Concord, CA). Trusler put in three goals (after the referee somehow imagined Brandon trying to punch someone?!?), and JCWP was able to hold the lead and run out the clock for the win.

Game 8: Rockford “A” 8, JCWP 5 Brendan Moore put in a nice goal and added to goals by Trusler and Jellinek, but JCWP fell short against Midwest rival Rockford “A” (Rockford, MI). Phillip Harter played a great game in net and won the hearts of Viper Pigeon, who began avidly cheering for Phillip with his strong performance in goal.

Game 9: JCWP 11, Pride 7

In JCWP’s best game of the tournament, JCWP defeated Pride 11-7. Unlike in the previous meeting, JCWP played stellar defense, preventing Pride’s best players from scoring. Pride players were becoming obviously frustrated with our pesky defense, and Harter played another excellent game in net. Brandon Trusler added six goals at the offensive end, propelling the team to a great tournament ending victory.

Overall Scoring Stats:

Trusler - 20

Jellinek - 15

Nordmann - 13

Larson - 6

Mattingly - 6

Burke - 3

Storey - 2

Moore - 2

Ritchie - 1

Total: 68

 Overall, it was a great tournament with a lot of water polo played. Thanks to all of the players and parents who came out to California with us or supported the team back in STL. We represented Missouri and Jungle Cat Water Polo admirably. Most importantly, I think everyone had a lot of fun and learned a lot about water polo and things they can do to make themselves a better player. I know I enjoyed hanging out with these boys and enjoyed seeing them grow as water polo players. It was a great trip!!!

See you all soon around the pool deck.

It’s been a great first three days at the 2015 Junior Olympics for the JCWP 16U squad. On Thursday, after a visit to In-N-Out, the team began its trip with two scrimmages against our friends at OC Riptides and Valley Falcon. As the day progressed, the team played better and better with each other. Chemistry was something that the team had struggled with to this point, as they had not had the opportunity to play together as a complete team at any point this summer (other than the qualifier). Both practices/scrimmages were fun, and we were grateful to our friends at both for hosting us. Also, shout out to the Twardowski’s for coming out and watching our scrimmage with Valley Falcon.

On Friday, the team was at it bright and early with a scrimmage with Trabuco Hills High School. The team played well, and they continued to build upon their successes the previous day. After the scrimmage, the team headed off to Huntington Beach and enjoyed a day in the sun. Some 16s were better than others at applying sunscreen, but everyone had a good time and enjoyed their time on the beach.

Saturday marked the beginning of JOs. In our first game, we played Pride Water Polo from SoCal. After going down 4-3 in the first quarter, a dismal second quarter left JCWP down 8-4 at half. Even though JCWP won the second half, the team lost 14-11. While the offense worked effectively, the JCWP defense prevented the team from pulling out the win. While Pride did have some strong 2Ms, they also had effective shooters on the perimeter, and we failed to isolate the player we wanted shooting the ball and instead let Pride’s best shooters shoot. Seven out of the 11 goals were scored by two players. In the losing effort, Brandon Trusler tallied four goals, including two 5M conversions, while Joe Jellinek added three goals and Thomas Nordmann two. After the game, we discussed needing to play more consistent defense and making our defense dictate what Pride had to do to beat us.

In game two, JCWP had a much better effort, pulling out a 12-3 win over Viper Pigeon from Houston, TX. The team went up with a five goal lead in the first quarter, helped by three goals from Nick Mattingly, and never looked back. Patrick Storey notched two goals, Colby Ritchie one, and Joe Jellinek added another three. Overall, the team played shut-down defense, particularly at 2M, with JCWP guards doing a great job holding the Viper Pigeon’s best players in check.

In game three, JCWP had a Midwest Zone showdown with West Sub. After talking about the need to come out hard and play tough passing lane defense, the team gave up four unanswered goals to start the game 4-0. Lack of mental focus and a tired demeanor contributed to the horrendous JCWP start. After a TO and some encouragement, JCWP tied up the game 4-4 by the end of three quarters. Both teams were clearly playing tired. But, West Sub wanted it more, scoring three in the fourth quarter, and won the game 7-4. Mental errors, including a third ejection earned by talking to the ref, and other missed opportunities, contributed to JCWP’s inability to finish. Amid the disappointment, Phillip Harter kept the team in the game, making some great saves against the opponent. John Burke had one of the most impressive individual efforts I have seen in a game in some time, essentially shutting down the West Sub’s 2M, scoring a goal, and constantly working on offense to get open water. It was a heck of a game by John Burke. But, JCWP’s inability to score in two quarters certain hurt the team’s chances. West Sub, to their credit, had a phenomenal goalie that was hard to get anything past. Had it not been for our goalie and defense, we would not have had a chance. But, just as in Michigan last month, the teams played to a 7-4 West Sub win.

So, JCWP will now play for 25th place overall. But, we are making strides, and the boys are learning things each day. We are playing better, and we are poised for some more exciting and stimulating games these next few days. Let the fun and learning in California continue!