Valley Prep Starts Water Polo Program
Water polo is not a sport you see played in The Valley and in Mississippi. It is predominantly played on the West Coast. But, that is about to change. Valley Prep is always on the cutting edge, and they’re always looking to differentiate themselves from other private schools in the state. They were the first school in The Valley to add flag football, and now they’re the first school to add water polo.
Valley Prep Athletics Director Boo Holtz said, “We had no plans to add another sport this year; this all came about by chance. I was attending an athletics conference in the Bay Area earlier this year, and I started talking to my Uber driver. It came up in conversation that he was a volunteer assistant coach for the City College of San Francisco’s men’s water polo team, and he said he’d played water polo for Pepperdine. I joked that Valley Prep should start a water polo team, and he should be the coach. I got his number, and I never thought I’d call him. I mentioned it to our headmaster, and he wanted me to look into it more. I started a dialogue with the Uber driver, and here we are now.”
That Uber driver was from Serbia, and his name is Marko Scrachanic (pronounced scratch-an-itch). I was able to catch up with Scrachanic, and he’s very excited about his water polo team. He said, “I’m just so happy to be in The Valley and Mississippi. The cost of living is so much cheaper, and I don’t have to work 3 jobs now to make it. No more silly protests. However, I will be swapping earthquakes for tornadoes, but I think I can deal with that. I’m so happy to introduce water polo to Valley Prep. I’ve started organizing a team, and the guys are excited to get going. You will have to come see us play in the fall.”
Scrachanic will have an uphill battle forming a competitive team. Valley Prep isn’t known for its athletics, and none of his players will have played water polo before. But, Scrachanic is up for the challenge. He said, “I know the first couple years are going to be tough, but I’m looking forward to working with the kids and instilling mental and physical toughness into them.”
One of his player’s dads said, “We’re glad to have Coach Scrachanic here at Valley Prep, but I’m not sure he knows what he’s getting into. These boys are so soft. I hate to say it, but I bet my son can’t tread water for 30 seconds. Most of these kids have never watched a second of water polo, and they think it’s gonna be swimming with a ball. They’re gonna be in for a rude awakening, but I wish Coach Scrachanic the best.”
Valleyans and Valley Prep fans are looking forward to watching some water polo. The SRVO wishes Coach Scrachanic and his team the best of luck, and we’ll keep you updated on the team’s season.