Boys Water Polo CIF Finals vs Helix High School

SDA’s boys water polo team fought hard against Helix High School this past Saturday Nov. 19 during the 2016 division three CIF finals at La Jolla High School. Battling their opposition until the end, the boys lost with a score of 6-8 and took home the runner-up title, marking the farthest any Academy water polo team has made it in CIF in the school’s history.

The first quarter of the game seemed to be a battle of the goalies, each preventing the opposing team from scoring. SDA’s boys showed amazing defensive ability, especially goalie Dylan Herrera who made 11 saves throughout the entire game. Only one ball got past him during the first quarter.

The second and third quarters were far more eventful as the boys began taking more aggressive shots, sophomore Matheus Gensler in the lead with three goals, junior Carl Winner with two, and junior Nate Conger with one.

During the fourth quarter, SDA began to fall behind as Helix’s momentum grew, and after an extremely tough but exciting game, SDA was defeated.

The stands were completely packed with SDA fans, including parents and friends of the athletes, teachers, and Principal Bjorn Paige. A pair of enthusiastic dads waved an SDA banner around in front of the crowd during halftime and time-outs, creating an uproarious chanting of “SDA! SDA!” Many students made posters to encourage their favorite players, especially the seniors.

After the game, each player was invited up onto a stand to receive a participation award from coach Scott Kling. Junior Wesley Tyler was given the sportsmanship of the match award.

Though the boys are disappointed that they didn’t take home the win this year, they are proud of how far they’ve come since the program began and are looking forward to beating their winning record next year.

“Our team had an amazing season this year and the whole program grew a lot from it,” said junior Kekoa Wheeler. “I’m looking forward to having a powerful group of seniors next year so we can come back even stronger.”