Trending

Advertisement

Chassen grows into shutdown defender for Titans

Share

Tony Chassen could barely stay above the water. He had no idea why the officials kept blowing their whistles and suddenly the ball would go to the other team. And he certainly did not know any of the rules.

But there is one thing Chassen did know after his first few experiences playing water polo: he loved it.

“I was really small and I could barely grip the ball and was drowning all over the place,” recalled Chassen, a senior guard for the Poway High boys water polo team. “I didn’t know how to egg beat and I couldn’t figure out what was happening. It was hard for me to watch the officials and swim. My mom would always watch me and say, ‘it looks like you are drowning out there.’ I would tell her, ‘That’s because I was drowning out there.’”

That was the summer before Chassen’s freshman year at Poway. A friend told him to give water polo a try and Chassen has been hooked ever since. He was thinking of playing football that fall, but decided to play water polo.

“I think playing water polo was one of the best decisions that I have made in high school,” he said. “I love all the people I have met and I have made so many close friends that I will keep forever.”

And this 2015 season by Poway will be something he remembers forever. The Titans put together their best regular season in recent memory, going 20-8 to earn a No. 2 ranking in the San Diego Section Division II power rankings. Poway will find out its official seed for the playoffs on Saturday.

“This year has been awesome,” said Chassen, who at 6-feet, 4-inches and 190 pounds has shutdown the inside game of several opponents with his long arms and quick hands. “The coolest part is last year we had two really good players ... this year we have (five great shooters) on the outside. So, even if one guy gets locked up others can score. It is fun being part of a team with so many threats.”

Chassen is mainly a defensive threat. He often forces the opposition to work the perimeter rather than the inside. He is tied for second on the team with 39 steals, but Poway coach John Giulanotti says that stat doesn’t come close to showing the influence he has on a game.

“He is like a shutdown corner in football,” he said. “He is shutting down a receiver so the ball is never going in there and he can’t get a steal. He does a great job at fronting so the ball cannot get inside. He is what we use to burn the shot clock. He should get a steal for every time he has done that for us.”

Chassen, who also has played lacrosse for Poway all four years, has worked hard to elevate his game to the level it has reached. He mentioned his coaching staff and teammates as reasons for his growth in the sport. Giulanotti points to Chassen’s work ethic.

“He is just one of those kids who is always trying to learn and get better and he is always having a good time,” he said. “He is always asking his coaches what he can do to get better and he takes teaching very well. He is a hard worker and that is what makes his engine go.”

Chassen knows this could be his last year playing competitive water polo. He has not heard from any colleges, but would welcome the opportunity to play at the next level if it presented itself. Still, getting a scholarship was never the ultimate goal for him.

“I never thought about playing college sports,” Chassen said. “I always just played because it was fun. I am always trying to get better, but I really am doing it because I love playing and I love working out.”

The only other reason is to win a championship.

“That would be a dream come true if we can do it,” he said. “I have always had the mentality that I am playing this sport because I love it. If we win a championship, it would be the icing on the cake.”

Advertisement