Boys Varsity Water Polo Season Recap

This year's boys water polo season has been a success due to the fact that they have managed to advance to the quarterfinals but unfortunately were defeated by Clovis East. Despite the loss, this is a major win for the program because this is the furthest boys water polo has made it in the playoffs. Coming off a 17-12 regular season and making it to the quarterfinals of CIF is a big deal. Not only will the program gain more attention from both the school, colleges and spectators, but for the High School as a whole. But how does it impact the players that made the 18-13 record possible? When asking boy water polo player, Colton Franklin about how he felt about the season as a whole, his response was “Our season turned out to be a huge success; we got 5th place in one of the most competitive leagues in the central section and won the first CIF Playoff game in program history . We knew after the end of last season that we wanted to make a big improvement both in our skills and our mental game, so we started practicing in the off season way back in February. Over the summer, our starters played on the SLO Water Polo Team, practicing with them in the morning five days a week and playing games all summer. Also, as a program, we all went down to Pepperdine for a week-long camp with Terry Schroeder and Merrill Moses, who both have experience in the Olympics with the US National Team.”

The start of their great season was kicked off against the Mission Oak Hawks, which had the final score of 19-3 with MBHS taking the victory. From that point on, boys water polo went on an eight game winning streak. Although this streak was finally broken by SLOHigh School in a 13-4 loss, starting a season 9-0 is amazing!

The biggest win for the water polo team this year, however, was their thrilling double overtime CIF playoff win against the Strathmore Spartans. The final score of the matchup was 13-10, with Morro Bay moving on to the quarterfinals for CIF, marking the first time boys water polo had made it to the quarterfinals in boys water polo history at Morro Bay High School. This win was huge for the program, when asking boys water polo player, Colton Franklin on how he felt about making the team making it to the quarterfinals for CIF , he said “As for the quarterfinal game against Clovis East; as a team we were quite satisfied with how we played on a mechanics level, but obviously were disappointed with the outcome and really wanted to upset a powerhouse of a team from Clovis. It was definitely the biggest game I've ever played in, and the team as well, which I was proud that we didn't choke under pressure and kept it close until the second half. They had their cheerleaders there, which. I found odd for a water polo game, but it definitely made it that much more intense.”

However, their next matchup would be a tough one. They would be playing the Clovis East Timberwolves. The game was an away game for Morro Bay which means they had to travel to East Clovis. The Timberwolves were 16-10 and had just played off a win against Edison High School. Unfortunately, Morro Bay lost the game 14-6. This loss would knock Morro bay out of the playoffs and put an end to this boys water polo season. The loss was big for everyone on the team when asked how they felt after the 14-6 loss. The seniors especially felt the loss knowing that it was potentially their last water polo game. But this was not the end, because this boys water polo team had accomplished something that no other boys water polo team had accomplished while at Morro Bay; they made it to the Quarterfinals.Hopefully in the next seasons to come, they will make it even further and accomplish even more.