Varsity Boys Water Polo and Varsity Football dominated in their first games of the season on March 12 and March 13, respectively, against local rivals Portola and Woodbridge.

Northwood started off slow in the water polo game but eventually settled in, culminating in a 14-7 victory behind senior Cameron An’s stellar performance.

“We’ve been practing for this moment since the beginning of the school year,” An said. “It was great to finally play competitive water polo   again.”

As for the football game, it was played under unusual rules and minimal contact to adhere to guidelines set by CIF. Northwood’s offensive unit was aggressive early, scoring a touchdown in the first two minutes of the game, while the stalwart defense remained consistent in shutting down Woodbridge’s drives.

“It was a weird game to start the season off,” Varsity Football player senior Rayan Garzan said. “It was basically a scrimmage, so we couldn’t really run all the plays we normally would have while also having minimal contact.”

The once-doubtful high school sports season was permitted once Orange County’s COVID-19 case-per-week count fell under 14 per 100,000 residents. The loosened guidelines came from Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposition on Feb. 19, surprising players and coaches who assumed the season was unlikely to start.

“Most of us had already moved on to other sports—including me—so I’m happy we ultimately got to play,” Garzan said. “Especially as a senior, I’m just excited to be on the field again and helping out my teammates any way I can.”

Fan attendance still remains limited to a maximum of two attendees per player. The football games are streamed on iusd.tv for others to spectate. Technical shortcomings included no audio or a visible scoreboard, but the stream experienced minimal buffering and clear video quality. With restrictions slowly being lifted, home fans can expect to watch live games in the near future, assuming they complete the NHS symptom screener form.

Both varsity teams delivered great performances in their first of many games. Minimized fan attendance and an abnormal style of play was a strange way to kick the season off, but the teams looks ready to continue their season strong. Water polo faces off against Beckman High School, while football meets Irvine High School so be sure to support them from home on March 19.