Dos Pueblos Water Polo Is Making Waves

With the CIF Southern Section playoffs on the horizon, the Dos Pueblos High School boys’ water polo team has the talent and experience to compete with the top teams in Southern California.

The Chargers have won eight of their last nine matches and, as of deadline, are on an undefeated run through Channel League play. 

“We have a blend of defensively focused individuals and offensively focused individuals,” said Dos Pueblos coach Chris Parrish. “We also have a good balance of youth and experience between the seniors and underclassmen.”

The return of top goal scorer Grant Nelson for his senior season has given the Chargers a major boost. His ability to manufacture goals in different situations instills confidence in the group and allows the Chargers to avoid prolonged scoring droughts.

Nelson is committed to continuing his water polo career at San Jose State.

One of the highlights of the season for Dos Pueblos came at the Santa Barbara Invitational, where the Chargers came through in the clutch to win the title for the first time in program history.

In the semifinals against Beckman, freshman Wyatt Warkentin scored the game-winning goal as the buzzer sounded to give Dos Pueblos an 11-10 victory.

The championship match against Laguna Beach offered even more suspense as senior Lucas Neushul caught fire down the stretch, scoring a game-high 9 goals, including the game-winner with 52 seconds remaining in overtime.

Sophomore goalkeeper Koa Zertuche made a crucial save with less than 10 seconds left to secure the win. Parrish praised his goalkeeper’s performance in keeping the team competitive in tough matches throughout the season.

Contributions from across the roster against elite competition helped Dos Pueblos finish with a 4-0 record in the prestigious tournament.

“I think it’s basic experience,” Parrish said. “Last year, we had a young team. We graduated three seniors, but the bulk of our high-scoring individuals returned and just came in with a lot of confidence.”

One of the keys to the Chargers’ success has been the development of sophomore Channing Wigo. Although he contributed as a freshman, Wigo has emerged as a dynamic scorer in his sophomore season, adding another dimension to the Dos Pueblos attack.

Channing is the son of UC Santa Barbara men’s water polo coach Wolf Wigo and has been involved in the U.S.A. Water Polo pipeline. His success at the youth level, along with his lifelong immersion in the sport, has helped him develop a unique skill set.

“When you have someone like Channing, who has literally been around water polo since birth, he comes in with a lot of experience,” Parrish said. “I want to continue to help him grow within our system, but he also has his own really good ideas and some skills that we can accentuate. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the kids around him and for me to be able to coach him.”

One of the unsung heroes on the roster is senior center Adam Gelman, who has been a defensive stalwart and established himself as a leader on the team. Ty Abel and Tyler Racine have also contributed key goals throughout the season.

Gelman and Neushul are uncommitted seniors who appear poised to continue their water polo careers at the collegiate level.

Dos Pueblos will likely compete in the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs against some of the top teams in the nation. The brackets will be released October 23.