Mohamed Wahdan stands 6-foot-2, weighs 163 pounds and is only in eighth grade.
He is already a starter on the Sycamore High School JV boys water polo team, according to a feature published Oct. 28 in The Leaf, the Sycamore student newspaper. The two-sport athlete also plays tight end for the Sycamore junior high football team.
Wahdan's stat line in a Sept. 2 game at Walnut Hills tells the story. He scored four goals, dished two assists, recorded seven steals and added a block, The Leaf reported.
The size helps. At 6-foot-2 and 163 pounds, Wahdan has no physical disadvantage against older opponents in the pool. But he told The Leaf the age gap cuts both ways.
"I feel like it's easier to not be as stressed, because I know that I won't be as old as the people who I'm playing," Wahdan said. "But the disadvantages is also that, like, I'm not as old as the people."
When asked about the increased physicality of high school water polo, Wahdan kept it simple: "You never know what's gonna happen under the water."
Teammate Ben Brilovich, a sophomore, described Wahdan as a team player who is "really, really good for someone who just started," according to The Leaf.
The Sycamore JV boys water polo schedule listed a JV Championship at St. Francis DeSales High School on Oct. 17-18. Results from that event were not available.
