The562’s coverage of Aquatic sports in Long Beach is sponsored by the Aquatic Capital of America Foundation.
The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
The Lakewood Lancers are under the new leadership of Head Coach Khaled Bouali, who will be assisted by Lakewood alumnus Mitchell Bowman. Bowman was with the team last year and is feeling comfortable with this season’s squad.
“The whole team has flipped the script and are motivated,” Bowman said. “Everyone on the team is saying that we’re already better than we were at the end of last year.”
The Lancers had a rough end to their season last year, losing six straight games. However, Bowman said his returners brought a renewed energy to the team this year.
“This is their sport. This is what their passion is. They want to be part of this team,” Bowman said.
Senior Dean Hutchinson was a First Team All-Moore League player last year who will also be one of the team captains this season. Daniel Marquez is a Second Team All-Moore League honoree and another team captain who will be joined by Daniel Acosta as top scorers for the Lancers. Maxson Hoke will also rotate in as an offensive threat for Lakewood.
Javante Fearence is another key player, and Bowman thinks the team doesn’t work without him.
“He is the heart and soul of our team and a pivotal part of our offense,” Bowman said.
Bowman knows the program is slowly growing and working on improvement, especially with those players that are fighting for a varsity spot.
“There’s just so many quality players that we’re trying to build through,” Bowman said. “Everyone’s motivated. Everyone wants to have that spot.”
Bowman added that Bouali is really focused on this growth, as he is trying to build a culture for the future.
“We’re trying to get the kids that are returning next year, all our sophomores and juniors, to be water polo players,” Bowman said. “These kids are all still pretty new to the game, and they’re learning really fast.”
Overall, Bowman knows his team has what it takes to win – he just needs his own team to believe that.
“What we want them to do is not only just get used to winning, but expect to win,” Bowman said.
Lakewood got a taste of that success when they hosted Mark Keppel on Sept. 3, where they took a 13-10 win. The Lancers will look to build off this victory as they head into season.
