The boys water polo team capped off their season with a second-place finish after their loss to Clear Creek at the state championship. This is the first time the team competed at state.
Their season began placing first at the Waterpalooza Tournament. The tournament took place at the Northside Swim Center in San Antonio Aug. 14-16.
“Going into this season, we were all very confident we were going to make it to state because every year we’ve improved,” attacker Brayden Guilbault said. “This year we were just ready.”
Entering district season, center defender Bogdan Slavu said the team entered the district tournament with determination and a boosted morale, facing off against seven other teams twice. The team beat Marcus in the first round but eventually lost to them in the second, earning them second place in district and qualifying them for state.
This tournament was their first win against Marcus in the program’s history.
“Beating [Marcus] for the first time really put into perspective that we’re going farther than before this year,” Slavu said. “It felt like all the hard work I put in for so long paid off. It felt good that we came together as a team and worked towards something bigger than ourselves.”
The team advanced to the playoffs, winning against Denton Ryan 23-7. In previous seasons, water polo had never made it farther than the first match. The second game against Southlake Carroll ended in a victory, then going on to beat Prosper 13-11. Then, they won against Marcus 11-9.
“The boys played for each other to win as a team,” Lilly said. “The goal of the team was to win and they played like it. It was that team chemistry they had; that camaraderie and brotherhood they’ve developed over the years of playing lots of matches with each other.”
Lilly said that a combination of senior leadership and hardworking younger players led to their success of the season. This season, they focused on their offensive and defensive tactics, specifically strategic methods of shooting along with the utilization of their left-handed players.
The team returned to San Antonio Oct. 24-25 to compete in the UIL state tournament. They opened the tournament against Prosper, executing a 13-11 victory. Their success set up a matchup against Clear Creek, the opponent that ultimately ended their run in the tournament with a final score of 17-15. They ended the season off with a record of 31-5 overall.
“I told the boys to take in this moment, but this isn’t our only shot to be here,” Lilly said. “Hopefully this fuels them and drives them to put in the work and come ready to play next year.”
