The Calvert Hall College High School, Towson, Cardinals dominated the competition on Oct. 27 during the MIAA water polo championships. No one could touch them, making it seven straight MIAA championship titles since 2001.
The Cards’ second-string rolled over Gilman in the early round 20-2 before facing off with Loyola Blakefield, Towson, in the finals. The Cards capped another phenomenal, unblemished conference season with another expected win, this time by a score of 15-6 over the Dons.
“At one point we had them 15-3. Our kids just played so well,” said Don Anderson, head coach of the Cardinals. Anderson said that every player played at least one quarter in the championship game.
The stands were full as the red and gold ended their regular season, outscoring their opponents 341-110.
The Cardinals are a dedicated bunch, from the coaching staff down through the younger players. “There’s parity within our team. I’m dedicated to the program, and they’re dedicated to the program,” said Anderson. The Cards practice hard, on average, 20 hours each week yet not one player has missed a practice all season long. That’s dedication and commitment.
Anderson went on to say, “I’ve never seen a team as good as this one. I’ve never worked a team so hard, and I’ve never seen a team work as hard as these players.”
The team has been led by five seniors; team captains Dan Kaun, the team’s stellar goalie, and Mike Helou, the team’s top-scoring machine. Kaun is an outstanding goalie and an outstanding athlete. He is being recruited by top-level colleges including Brown University, The Johns Hopkins University and Navy.
In addition to Kaun and Helou, is senior Arny Warren, the left-handed offensive driver, whose pump fakes with the ball and powerful shots on goal have helped improve the Cards’ overall MIAA record to 68-4.
Two other seniors Matt Kolb, two-meter man and driver Chris Ashley have been with the varsity team for two and three years, respectively and have had the honor of experiencing championship titles at the local level as well as regionally with the 2006 title bid at the Eastern Preps in Lawrenceville, N.J.
The Cardinals now turn their attention to the next two weekends for regional competition Nov. 3-4 at the Prep School Championships and then on to the Eastern Championships Nov. 10-11.