The ball is hurled, players swarm the area in order to secure the ball, then a torrent of water follows. After the water settles, a player gallantly emerges from the mix. Who is this is high-caliber player with great determination? Ryan Coval.

Coval is a senior at Carlsbad High and a prominent member of the boys varsity water polo team. He has been playing water polo for six years, spending two on the JV team and another two years on the varsity team. He plays as an attacker–essentially an offensive oriented player.

“I definitely have stepped into the role of a leader now that I am on the starting line-up,” Coval said. “I feel that affects my team greatly based off how I play and act toward them.”

As a senior, he has a big role to fill as both a leader and role model for his teammates.

“We lost two of our six starters last year,” Coval said. “Myself along with Ian Bertotti are replacing their positions on the starting line-up. So far, we have done a spectacular job as a team since losing those two starters.”

Water polo is an easy sport to distinguish because it is one of the only sports played in the water.

“We started two weeks before school, with hell-week going 100% in and out of the water,” Coval said. “We have hopes to win the CIF open division championship.”

Both in and out of the water,  Coval lives a life full of laughter and passion. You can easily identify him in any crowd as the one making those around him smile from ear-to-ear. Along with being a varsity athlete, Coval can always be found cheering on the football team embedded in loud crowd showing his ample school spirit and love for his class.

“He is a kind and caring individual,” senior Bridget Babcock said. “He knows how to have a good time while also balancing homework, water polo and fun.”

With Coval as a leader of his team, the possibilities of achieving success are endless. He loves and cares for many and looks forward to a very bright future.

“We have been practicing hard and are going to play a great season,” Coval said.