The boys water polo team brought the heat on senior night, defeating the Hillsdale Fighting Knights 14-9.
Despite losing the sprint to the Knights, it soon became clear that the Bears were in charge. A penalty shot by senior attacker Bryce Winters put the first points on the board at 5:39.
Well-coordinated defense from M-A kept the Knights at bay, and great offensive runs resulted in two more goals for the Bears. However, Hillsdale began to fight back, sending a long shot just past junior goalkeeper Joseph Tompkins, wrapping up the first quarter with a score of 3-1.
Despite the Knights starting the second quarter with possession, the Bears quickly recovered the ball and sunk a shot into the cage, bringing the score up to 4-1 only 40 seconds in.
Tompkins remained strong in the cage with multiple excellent blocks. Even so, the Knights managed to find gaps in the Bears’ defense, allowing them to score twice in less than a minute and shrink the gap down to 4-3. As soon as it seemed the Bears might lose their lead, they rallied and mounted a relentless offensive attack against Hillsdale.
Junior attacker Navid Riahi scored a short goal, which was quickly followed up by two more from senior attacker Evan Ten Vaanholt, bringing the tally up to 7-3. Despite M-A’s offensive dominance, the Knights continued to put up a fight and scored once more. The half ended with the Bears maintaining a decisive 7-4 lead.
Though M-A won the sprint at the start of the second half, the Knights took the ball deep into Bear territory and made another successful shot just 30 seconds in, bringing the score to 7-5. After a brief timeout, the Bears regained control of the pool once more.
Junior attacker Spencer Harding scored another goal, which was met with uproar from the packed bleachers. The cheering increased further as the Bears scored six times in a row in a few short minutes in an incredible display of coordination and power.
Though Hillsdale’s defense faltered in the face of M-A’s attacks, they managed to score back-to-back, closing the gap to 13-8 with a little more than two minutes left in the match. Despite this, the Bears bounced back, and senior hole set Cubby Derrough launched a powerful shot into the Knights’ cage.
The game closed out with one more penalty goal for the Knights, but the fans were already out of their seats, cheering for M-A’s impressive 14-9 senior night victory.
For senior utility Matt Nicholas, this game demonstrated the team’s strengths. “I like how we got the senior lineup in there,” he said. “I like how we spread the ball. We’re a very welcoming team, a lot like a family. In a lot of other sports, there’s a lot of ego in the locker room. We don’t have that out here.”
After the game, seniors Winters, Nicholas, Derrough, Ten Vaanholt, Parker Guntren, Jack Bullard, and Zach Quintana received crowns, leis, and applause as they walked across the pool deck with their family members.
“It’s bittersweet because we know it’s our last time in this pool, but it makes everybody feel at home,” Nicholas said.
The team plans to capitalize on its momentum and secure as many wins as possible. “We want to try to win CCS and go far in the playoffs. This is definitely going to be one of our longest seasons because of our team chemistry and the way we all really want to win,” Winters said.
The team will travel to face the Sequoia Ravens on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
