Summer Polo at Enumclaw Pool

Hornets Finish Eighth at State

 

 

 

photo courtesy Brenda Sexton

The Enumclaw High School Girls Water Polo Team, following a 14-9 loss to Auburn Mountainview on Saturday, finished eighth at the Washington State Girls Water Polo Championship on Saturday afternoon, at Curtis High School.

The Hornets began the tournament with a 13-9 win over Bellevue on Wednesday, advancing them to the final eight. Later on Wednesday, Enumclaw lost to Gig Harbor, 24-5, seeding the Hornets against Newport in Friday's second round.

On Friday the Hornets opened against Newport, and lost to the Knights 11-3.  The loss forced the battered Hornets, for the second time in three days, to play two games within three hours, facing Lakes at 8:50 Friday night.  Against Lakes Enumclaw started with a 3-0 lead, with two goals by Megan Lesmeister and one by Hanna Simurdak. But the Lancers rallied, scoring two late in the opening quarter, for a 4-2 Hornet lead after one quarter of play.

The two defenses tightened in the second period, and both teams were held scoreless.  In the third, the Lancers outscored Enumclaw 4-3 to reduce the Hornet advantage 7-6, and tied the game with 3:25 left in the game.  Lakes scored two in overtime, while holding the Hornets scoreless, for a 10-8 in over the exhausted Enumclaw team.

Friday's losses put Enumclaw in the 7th/8th place game on Saturday, against league rival Auburn Mountainview.  The Lions gave the Hornets their third loss of the weekend, 14-9.

The Hornets finish the season 14-10, claiming second place in the East Division, and eighth place at State.

Gig Harbor Tides Win State Tournament

With a 15-8 win over Curtis, last year's defending State Champion, the Gig Harbor High School Girls Water Polo Team reclaimed the Washington State Girls Water Polo Championship on Saturday night, for the fourth time in five years.

Final State Championship Results:

  1.  Gig Harbor

  2.  Curtis

  3.  Newport

  4.  Mercer Island

  5.  Lakes

  6.  Stadium

  7.  Auburn Mountainview

  8.  Enumclaw

  9.  Auburn Riverside

10.  Bellevue

11.  Wilson

12.  Puyallup

Friday's State Results; Saturday's Schedule

Hornets Advance to Final Eight at State

The Enumclaw High School Girls Water Polo Team advanced to the final eight of the State Championships with a 13-9 win over Bellevue on Wednesday, May 21, at Curtis High School.  The win, combined with a 24-5 loss to Gig Harbor later Wednesday night, put the Hornets in second place in Group B.  With that placement, Enumclaw will face the winner of Group C, Newport, in their next game, at 6:30 on Friday, May 23, also at Curtis High School.

In Wednesday's opening game against Bellevue, Hornet Bailey Sexton put Enumclaw up 2-0 early, with two goals in the first 76 seconds. Bellevue rallied several times, closing within one goal, 6-5, late in the second period, and staying within two for most of the game until Megan Lesmeister scored on a power play with 1:11 left to put Enumclaw up by three.  Hayley Sonneson scored on a last-second shot to give the Hornets the four point win.

Lesmeister scored six for Enumclaw, Sexton scored four, Hayley Sonneson scored two, and Grace Sales scored one, against Bellevue.

The Hornets' second game Wednesday put Enumclaw against perennial State Champion Gig Harbor.  Tides' All-American Julia Ponce scored 11 seconds into the game, but Enumclaw's Megan Lesmeister scored 13 seconds later to tie the game at 1-1.  The powerful Tides offense then scored 11 in a row before Hornet Bailey Sexton scored Enumclaw's second goal, early in the second quarter.  The tired Hornet squad, playing with just a one-game rest, couldn't keep up with the deeper Tides, and finished with just five goals, against Gig Harbor's 24.

Lesmeister and Sexton each scored two, and Anna Davenport scored one for the Hornets in the loss.

Girls Face Bellevue in State Opener

The Enumclaw High School Girls Water Polo Team opens State Tournament play on Wednesday, May 21, against Bellevue, in a 6:30 game, at Curtis High School, in University Place, WA.  The Hornets qualified for State by winning second place in the East Division; Bellevue finished in fourth place in the North Division, and advanced through last weekend's Wild Card tournament.

Eight teams qualified for State by finishing first or second in their division:
Auburn Mountainview (East 1)
Enumclaw (East 2)
Newport (North 1)
Mercer Island (North 2)
Gig Harbor (West 1)
Stadium (West 2)
Curtis (South 1)
Lakes (South 2)

Four teams qualified for State through last weekend's Wild Card Tournament:
Puyallup (South 3)
Wilson (West 3)
Auburn Riverside (East 3)
Bellevue (North 4)

The Hornets face Gig Harbor in their second game of the first round at 8:50 on Wednesday. If Enumclaw finishes in the top two of their group, they would face a team from Group C (Newport, Lakes, Wilson) on Friday; if the Hornets lose their group, they would face the loser of Group C on Thursday.

Good Luck to all the teams competing in this week's tournament.

Hornets Qualify for State

With wins over their last two divisional opponents, on Tuesday and Thursday, the Enumclaw High School Girls Water Polo Team has clinched second place in the East Division, and an automatic berth at the State Tournament.

On Tuesday the Hornets hosted Kentridge, and beat the visiting Chargers 20-5.  The game started out close, with Kentridge limiting the Hornets to two goals in the opening period, and posting a 2-2 tie after the first seven minutes.  The Hornet offense rallied in the second quarter, outscoring the Chargers 7-1, for a 9-3 halftime lead.

Enumclaw outscored Kentridge 7-2 in the the third quarter. and shut out the visitors in the final period, for the final 20-5 win. Seven Hornets scored in the win, led by Bailey Sexton's six goals. Anna Davenport scored five, Megan Lesmeister scored four, and Hayley Soneeson scored three.  Hannah Simurdak, Grace Sales, and Sierra Clough added one apiece.

Thursday the Hornets traveled to Sumner for their final league game, and beat the improving Spartan team 20-10. Sumner played the Hornets close early, tying the game at 4-4 with 45 seconds left in the first period, and again at 6-6 with four minutes left in the first half. Hornets senior Megan Lesmeister scored two goals in the last two minutes of the half, to give Enumclaw a 9-7 advantage at the half.

Enumclaw held Sumner scoreless in the third quarter, while tacking on five, and outscored the Spartans 6-3 in the final period.  Megan Lesmeister led all scorers with 10 goals; Hayley Sonneson scored four, Bailey Sexton three, Sierra Clough two, and Grace Sales one.

The Hornets travel to Tacoma on Friday to face Stadium at 6:00 and visit Bainbridge Island on Saturday for a 4:30 game.  Enumclaw finishes league play 8-2, and are currently 11-5 overall, with three non-league games remaining.

The State Tournament takes place May 21-24.

Hornets Finish Week 3-1, Improve to 9-5

The Enumclaw High School Girls Water Polo Team won three games, and lost one this week, to improve their overall record to 9-5, 6-2 in the East Division.

The Hornets opened the week with a convincing non-league win over the visiting Rogers Rams on Tuesday.  Enumclaw got off to a fast 7-0 lead in the first quarter, led by Anna Davenport's three fast break goals.  The Hornets held the lead all game, finishing with a 17-4 win.  Davenport and Hayley Sonneson led the Hornets scoring with four goals each.  Megan Lesmeister scored three, Bailey Sexton and Hannah Simurdak scored two each, and Grace Sales and Sierra Clough added one apiece.

On Wednesday Enumclaw traveled to Auburn to face the division leading Auburn Mountainview Lions.  The Hornets stayed close into the second half, but the deeper Mountainview squad wore out the smaller Hornet team to claim a 15-6 win, and the East Division title for the second straight year. Megan Lesmeister scored three, Bailey Sexton scored two, and Anna Davenport scored one in the loss.

Thursday the Hornets returned to the Auburn Pool to face Auburn Riverside, beating the Ravens 8-6.  The Ravens kept the game close, tying it at 5-5 early in the final period, but the Hornets scored three in a row to lead 8-5 until the Ravens added their final goal with 27 seconds left in the game.  Hayley Sonneson scored three, Grace Sales and Bailey Sexton scored two each, and Megan Lesmeister scored one.

On Saturday the Hornets traveled to the Newport Hills Swim and Tennis Club to face the Newport Knights in the rain, in one of the State's few outdoor venues. The two teams fought a close game through the first three quarters, until the Hornets pulled away in the final period for a 12-9 win.  Megan Lesmeister led all scorers with eight goals; Hayley Sonneson scored three, and Bailey Sexton scored one.

Enumclaw finishes league play next week, facing Kentridge on Tuesday and Sumner on Thursday.  A win over Sumner would clinch second place in the East Division for the Hornets, and an automatic berth at State.  The Hornets then travel to Tacoma on Friday to face a strong Stadium team, and visit Bainbridge Island on Saturday afternoon.  Friday and Saturday's games are non-league.

Rain City Offers Clinic With Harvard Coach

Rain City Water Polo is hosting a clinic this weekend at the Mercer Island Beach Club featuring Harvard Head Coach Ted Minnis!  High School athletes are 9:00-12:00 and Elementary and Middle School athletes are 1:00-3:00 Saturday and Sunday.

Parents and Coaches are also welcome to come and watch, take notes, and ask questions for free.  Coach Minnis will spend the first 30 minutes of each HS session talking about the college recruiting process, what its like to play in college, and will answer any questions during this time from parents, players and coaches.

If you can only make it to one day, we still encourage you to come!  Since there is no online payment option for one day, please bring a check with you to the pool.  The cost for one day is $65 for High School athletes and $50 for Elementary and Middle School kids.  All checks can be made out to Rain City Water Polo Club.