A.G.’s Chase Taylor was afraid of the water, now he’s the water polo Player of the Year

Arroyo Grande High School senior Chase Taylor was the top goal scorer on the best water polo program in the county in 2016.

But just a few years ago, the only time Taylor ventured into the water was to take a shower.

“I was deathly afraid of the water,” Taylor said while sitting on the school’s pool deck Friday. “I think I was so afraid of the water because I just wasn’t used to it. I was a complete land sport person.”

Taylor, a self-proclaimed “valley kid,” said he spent most youth playing club soccer. It wasn’t until he was 12 years old, just before his family moved from Visalia to the Central Coast, that he finally got over his fear and started playing water polo.

“Luckily, I got into a really good water polo program,” Taylor said.

Taylor led the team in goals (53), assists (48) and steals (61) this season and helped Arroyo Grande to a 22-8 record (7-1 PAC 8) and a second-place finish in the PAC 8 behind powerhouse Righetti. For his accomplishments, Taylor has been named The Tribune’s 2016 County Boys Water Polo Player of the Year.

Lefty Gets Right

Just like in baseball, left-handed water polo players are coveted.

“Fortunately, I was blessed with the left hand, so it made me a lot more important,” Taylor said. “When you are coming at a different angle (defenders) are like, ‘What the heck?’ They don’t know what to do. It just gives you an advantage.”

His unique skill set earned him playing time as a freshman, and Taylor dove right in. He moved up to varsity as a sophomore, but it wasn’t until this season during an October tournament in Los Angeles that Taylor found his swagger. Taylor used his powerful left arm to score six goals in a come-from-behind win against Costa Mesa. And in the next game, he had four goals in an overtime win against Palisades.

“(Arroyo Grande head coach Steven Allen) talked to me and said ‘This is the way you should be playing every game.’ And so I was like, ‘OK, I will just do it and keep it going,’ ” Taylor said. “I finally got that confidence boost. I needed that. It’s all mental. I didn’t believe in myself.”

Taylor and the Eagles went on a tear after the Southern California tournament, winning five of their next six. Arroyo Grande’s only loss came to PAC 8 champions Righetti, winner of the previous two Division 4 CIF-Southern Section titles.

Playoff Exit

Arroyo Grande’s second-place PAC 8 finish earned them a trip to the wild-card round of the Division 3 CIF-Southern Section playoffs and a rematch with Crespi, a team that beat the Eagles 8-1 earlier in the season.

Entering the fourth quarter, Arroyo Grande held a 5-3 lead. But Taylor was ejected after receiving his third exclusion and Crespi went on to win in overtime, 10-8.

“When I got kicked out, that really bummed me out because I couldn’t be there for the team, and I felt like I couldn’t impact the game anymore. It was the worst way to end my senior year,” Taylor said. “But watching the improvement of the team this season, from getting beat down by (Crespi) earlier in the season, that was my favorite part.”

Taylor said his competitive water polo playing days are over. When he graduates from Arroyo Grande in the spring, he plans to go backpacking and biking across Europe during a gap year before enrolling at Cuesta. He’s been saving money for the trip while working the last job you might expect an aquaphobic valley kid to take: a state lifeguard.

“I love it,” Taylor said. “I have turned into a beach kid.”

This story was originally published December 13, 2016 at 5:33 PM with the headline "A.G.’s Chase Taylor was afraid of the water, now he’s the water polo Player of the Year."