REASON TO SMILE—Royal High’s Cody Moore helped guide the Highlander water polo squad to a 23-5 regular-season record. Cody Moore does everything well for the Royal High boys’ water polo team.

The super sophomore led the Highlanders in goals (112), assists (67) and steals (67) entering Thursday’s CIF-Southern Section Division 4 home playoff opener against Malibu.

Moore is probably the fastest player in the water in the Marmonte League—he won the 100-meter freestyle race in the Marmonte swim championships as a freshman.

The Highlander has taken his water polo game to the next level this season.

“Once he gained self-confidence and confidence in his teammates, he’s really taken off,” Royal head coach Steve Snyder said.

“He’s a great team player. He’s just an unassuming guy with no pretensions.”

BIG FAMILY—Sophomore Cody Moore, 16, is listed at 6-foot-4, which is nothing compared to his father, Mike, who’s 7 feet tall. Snyder, who has coached water polo at Royal for 30 years, equated Moore’s game to Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom, because both are versatile left-handed athletes who force opponents to change the way they play.

Moore, 16, has been playing water polo since he was 5. It may appear that the game comes easy to him, but hard work has paid off for the Highlander.

“Practice is what makes us better conditioned and gets us in better shape,” said Moore after a Tuesday practice that went from 2 to 6 p.m., just another day at the pool.

Moore relishes the fact that he is versatile in the pool.

“I don’t want to be just onedimensional,” he said. “It’s a physical game, and you always have to be working on something.

“In the games, I love playing defense—I take pride in that. My offense is there. I love defense, shutting someone down then scoring on them.”

The sophomore attacker said he’s improved his pool vision and his ability to post up and go across the cage.

If a lot of that sounds like a lot of basketball lingo, it’s because Moore’s favorite sports team is the Lakers.

When he’s not wreaking havoc in the pool, Moore enjoys playing or watching Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on television.

“The Lakers, they’re going back-to-back,” the water polo player said. “I don’t think, I know they will. Kobe will pull through.”

Moore has stood out on a team loaded with talented players.

Sophomore goalie Thor English was pressed into action early but has been “phenomenal,” Snyder said.

Senior attacker Tanner Jauch, junior driver Zach Graper, sophomore 2-meter defense Dustin Schwab, sophomore 2-meter offense Ryan Krieger and junior attacker Mike Arteaga also contribute for the Highlanders.

Krieger said Moore stands out in a number of ways.

“He’s a smart player,” Krieger said. “He’s also a lefty, which is key. He helps set up the offense, and he’s extremely, extremely fast.

“He can turn an entire game around. He can score two or three goals in a minute. . . . A lot of stuff he does is pretty amazing.”

It helps having good genes.

Moore comes from an athletic family. His father, Mike, is 7 feet tall and was a multisport athlete in high school.

Moore’s mother, Sara, played volleyball at Royal. His brother, Bryce, 14, and sister Bailey, 12, also play water polo.

The Highlander draws inspiration for the sport from two people: his grandfather, Hank Toring, and his uncle, Jim Toring.

Moore’s grandpa drives Moore to practice and encourages him to follow his dreams with water polo. They watch game film for hours at a time.

“He’s the one that helps me with the sport, outside of my coaches,” Moore said.

Jim Toring was a former water polo player for the U.S. national team. Toring died in 1998 after a bus hit him in Paris.

As fate would have it, a car accident kept the former UCLA star from competing at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and he was the last cut for the 1996 Olympic squad.

Moore said he sometimes watches video of his late uncle to try and get some moves.

Although he’s a competitor in the water, Moore is laid back away from the pool.

Moore said he’d like to have a career in sports broadcasting—he wouldn’t mind being the next Chick Hearn—and get free tickets for his family and friends.

“He’s a fun, carefree guy,” Krieger said. “He doesn’t take stuff too seriously. He’s always in a good mood.”

Moore’s relaxed demeanor doesn’t get in the way of his dreams.

“I want to go to college, get my degree and go the Olympics,” Moore said. “I want to play in one or two Olympics and hopefully win a gold medal one day for America.”