"It's huge, we've never even though of that, it's never even heard of," Williamson said. "Pac-Five has always been the 'Bad News Bears.' "

But with a 2-1 record, including its first ever win against Iolani, Pac-Five has found itself on the verge of breaking through as a team to beat, rather than a very beatable team.

"It helps our program get over that hump," senior co-captain Sean Aoyagi said. "We know we can beat Iolani. It helps our confidence; just to keep working to reach for this year's championship."

Aoyagi is one of nine seniors on the Wolfpack's 13-player squad, giving the Wolfpack its most experienced team yet.

"Individually, we've grown," Aoyagi said. "As a team, we've grown, to be as one."

Stirrings of the team's potential began last year, when the team picked up its first wins in the program's history, winning three against Kamehameha. This year it won its fourth, also against the Warriors, and fifth — the breakout victory against Iolani on Sept. 17.

"It gave us a lot more confidence; we clicked," said senior driver Adam Glickstein, who scored five goals in the 8-5 win over Iolani. "We realized we needed to do that against other teams this year. Other years we came really close and never could pull it off.

"In other years we said we could win, but I don't think we really believed we could win."

They came close again, losing to Punahou, 9-4, on Friday.

Pac-Five had a 3-1 lead in the first quarter, and were even at 4-4 at halftime.

"I think it was more of what the audience saw, that we kind of matched up to them for the whole first half," senior co-captain Jason Fung said. "We were equivalent, if not better. Because of the Iolani game the week before, the players thought it might come easier or we didn't have to work as hard."

The Pac-Five Division I varsity boys water polo program has been in existence for eight years, and has overcome its share of obstacles, including practicing in a pool smaller than regulation game size and trying to coalesce a team where players come from different schools.

"It's not going to be an excuse," Aoyagi said.

"The team is fun and exciting, and they just bring you in," said Fung, who attends Waldorf School. "No matter what school you go to or what facility you play in, it's all up to the players."

They credit their ability to adapt to the pool size and play together to offseason play with the Anuenue Club, which is coached by Williamson and fellow Pac-Five coach Clarke Tamariki.

The players on Pac-Five, which features students from Mid-Pacific, ASSETS, Maryknoll, Saint Louis, University High and Waldorf, said the team's conditioning and practice regimen also play a big role in its early success.

"We've never practiced this way before," Fung said.

They also say Williamson, who played for Chaminade, Tamariki, who played for Cal-Berkeley, and assistant coach Michael Kohene, from UC-Davis, have advanced their game.

"They really believe in us, and it gives us that confidence we need," Fung said.

But the players, who are all too familiar with the feeling of losing, are careful about being too overconfident about the season.

"We have to be careful," junior 2-meter Harry Kersten said. "It's better to think we're the underdogs until the season is over, or people are going to slack off. I think it motivates people."

With the ILH consisting of only four boys water polo teams, each team plays one another twice. In previous years, that meant more losses for the Wolfpack.

But with two seniors who have been starters on the varsity since their freshman year — Aoyagi and Lance Takenaka — a solid group of veterans is hoping to capitalize on its experience.

"I think this year we want to win the most," Glickstein said. "We're all seniors, and we really want to win this. We're going to set the standard for Pac-Five."