On Friday Sept. 8th and Saturday, Sept. 9th, the Boys water polo team competed in the Round Rock Polo Festival Tournament. They played consecutive games against Hays, Alamo Heights, Westlake, and Austin High.
Starting off the weekend in the Hays game to loud applause, Zach Hobbs ‘24 shot the first goal. Freddy Browarski ‘24, Jack Beneviste ‘24, Caden Bradford ‘26, Miles Pischetsrieder ‘24, and Ben Meijers ‘25 played a solid offense as they racked up the score to 8-0 in the first quarter.
Although they let 3 goals slip by the end of the game, they eventually crushed the Hawks in a 19-3 defeat. A notable aspect of their performance were their transition periods when the ball switched possession, as the Westwood players were consistently faster swimming toward the goal than their opponents.
“I think we swam really well. I think the conditioning sessions have been working really well for us,” Meijers said. “Overall, I think our team cohesion has gotten much better.”
Only two hours later, the boys faced off against their next opponent: Alamo Heights. Though they were slightly behind by halftime, their combined tenacity created openings to strike. Browarski and Hobbs showed out in this game, earning Westwood a win with a score of 8 to 5.
The third and last opponent for Friday’s slate of games, Westlake, was by far the toughest. Both teams stayed nearly stagnant as Westwood struggled to match the Chaparrals at just one point for the first half of the game. Unfortunately, this game was not in the favor of the Warriors even with their stellar defense. Although Browarski gained a goal to keep the score wavering at 4-4 in the third quarter, Westlake secured two goals in the fourth, finalizing the loss at 6-4.
On the second day of the tournament, tensions ran high as the Warriors faced off against the formidable Austin High. After three successful goals were scored in the first quarter, the boys kept the momentum going with a slight edge over their opponents, finally tilting the game to their side with an ending score of 10-7.
As Westwood played, spectators crowded around the pool. Parents, teachers, and the Girls Water Polo Team were all ready with pom-poms and set chants to cheer on the boys.
Principal Erin Campbell also attended the game and supported the team from the stands. She admired how out of the water, the Girls Team and Boys Team took turns actively motivating each other.
“They look really strong this year,” Mrs. Campbell said. “To me, the strength of the team is that they are so unified. They do such a good job of collectively supporting one another, they’re all cheering for each other, they’re all giving each other advice and feedback and peer coaching. That to me is what is helping them achieve success.”
The Warriors will play next in the second District Round Robin Games on Saturday, Sep. 23.