The Staples boys’ water polo team has just finished up a great season, and with Angus Armstrong ’13 and Robert DeLuca ’13 lined up to take over as captains next year, another one is surely in store.

Armstrong plays the position of hole set – the player who hovers on the two-meter line, always ready to take a shot. “It’s fun to be the guy who gets beat up by the other team, but also gets to triumph over them and try to score,” he said.

DeLuca is a field player, and though he prefers playing defense, he is working on his offensive skills because he knows the team will need a strong attack in the coming season.

For both boys, the journey towards becoming captains began their freshman year. DeLuca, who had been swimming since the age of eight, was at first interested in water polo because he knew many of the players. He quickly found himself enjoying both the sport and the team.

Armstrong’s introduction to water polo was a bit more random – he simply saw an ad in the paper and decided to give it a go, despite having no prior experience with swimming. Though some of the skills he acquired playing other sports like basketball and soccer proved helpful, he admits that “the swimming was definitely not there when I first started.”

A lack of swimming skills did not hold Armstrong back for long, as he improved by practicing both during the season and outside of it. In addition to his role on the Staples team, Armstrong participates in an Olympic Development Program, and both he and DeLuca play on the New York Athletic Club Water Polo team during the off-season.

When not playing water polo, both boys keep plenty busy with the Staples boys swim team, as well as other extracurriculars. Armstrong also plays rugby and is on the governing board at Toquet Hall. DeLuca nurtures a wide variety of other interests, from politics with the Junior Statesmen of America and the Young Libertarians club, to academics through the Math Team and Science Bowl.

As co-captains, they each will contribute something different to the team. Armstrong brings loads of experience, while DeLuca is eager to make a difference though his dedication.

“I really love the team, and I think I can help a lot of kids enjoy water polo,” he said. “I want to give them that great experience that I first had.”

Their goals for the year include increasing the sense of camaraderie, continuing to improve swimming skills, and spending more time developing “game sense,” which DeLuca explains as “knowing what to do to counter an opponent and create opportunity.”

In terms of more tangible goals, they would like to see another win at the annual Hopkins tournament, a victory that both boys cited as the highlight of their 2011 season. Armstrong also wants to triumph in a match over Greenwich, a feat the team is yet to pull off.

Overall, the future captains are practical but optimistic about next fall’s season.

“We’re losing a lot of great talent, and we have big shoes to fill,” said DeLuca. “But it’s going to be a great year.”