Students clinched an 8-7 win over staff in the Students vs. Staff Inner Tube Water Polo game on Thursday during lunch. Leadership created the game as a way to bond students and staff with a fun and competitive spirit, and it’s making its return for the first time in several years.
The students started off strong, with junior Mica Podoly winning the initial sprint. The teachers blocked several quick shots as Leadership teacher Mike Amoroso held his ground in the cage. The students weaved their way through the staff’s defense as Podoly got the students on the board. Junior Maro Eaton followed up with another goal on an assist from Podoly, giving the students a 2-0 lead.
“Our school is so big, and I think events like this really bring us together,” Podoly said.
Senior Cubby Derrough denied several shots to keep the teachers scoreless. However, AVID and Biology teacher Lauren Lesyna found the back of the net for the staff’s first point of the game. Strong defense by AS English II and AP Seminar teacher Jason Hunt led to a quick pass to Lesyna, who drained the shot to even the score at 2-2.
The students responded with a goal to pull back ahead, but their lead was short-lived. Pre-Calculus and AP Computer Science Principles teacher Tomiko Fronk and Amoroso secured back-to-back goals for the staff, contributing to a 4-3 lead to conclude the first half.
“You don’t get to see your teachers in a competitive atmosphere against you,” Derrough said. “So it’s fun to see how that brings out new traits about them.”
After halftime, the students immediately took control, with sophomore Anna Brown obtaining possession. However, the staff quickly recovered with a goal by Lesyna, pushing their lead to 5-3.
Despite trailing by two goals, the students remained strong, with sophomore Grace Lobdell quickly regaining the ball after a fumble by the staff. Possession flipped with an aggressive steal from Hunt, but the staff were still unable to capitalize, and the ball returned to the students.
Using this momentum, Lobdell made her way closer to the goal and nailed a powerful shot to the back of the cage, shortening the students’ deficit to 5-4.
AP Environmental Science and Biology teacher Erica Woll, eager to extend the staff’s lead, executed a quick pass to Lesyna. However, Lesyna was immediately met with intense defense by the students, who completely surrounded her. Even so, the staff still found a way through, with Hunt gaining possession and scoring off a close-range shot, securing the staff a comfortable lead of 6-4.
The students were eager for a comeback. After a critical block, the ball flew to the middle of the pool, where Eaton snatched it up and threw a powerful shot straight past Amoroso, bringing the total tally up to 6-5.
Using this newfound energy, the students executed an elaborate series of passes, with the ball landing in the hands of junior Zane Nahas. Nahas found the back of the net with ease, setting the score at 6-6 and erasing the teachers’ lead. The students kept on pushing, executing another goal to the top left corner, finally gaining the lead at 7-6.
This only seemed to motivate the staff more, as a clean pass from Hunt allowed Fronk to nail a shot in the middle of the cage, tying the score at 7-7.
“It’s fun because it’s a silly version of a real game. So everyone’s kind of awful, and it’s fun to see people in a totally different setting than the classroom,” Woll said.
As the game approached its final moments, the urgency levels on both sides shot up, with junior Nicola Melani and Lesyna aggressively fighting for the ball. Melani barely managed to win the battle and slinked the ball to Derrough, who found the back of the net and finished off the game for the students 8-7.
“My favorite part was seeing all the teachers come out,” senior Zachary Quintana said. “It really shows that we have such a good community at M-A because it’s not only the students that participate, but it’s the teachers that participate in events too.”
