Rain City Offers Clinic During Winter Break

Rain City Water Polo will host a Winter Water Polo Clinic on December 28, 29 & 30, on Mercer Island. The three-day event will feature a college recruiting seminar and panel, and a two-day skills clinic led by Rain City coaches and current and former collegiate athletes.

Who:
Open to boys & girls grades 8-12

When:
December 28-30, 2015, 7:30-9:30pm

Where:
Monday, 12/28: Seminar & Panel @ Mercer Island Beach Club, 8326 Avalon Drive, Mercer Island

Tuesday, 12/29 & Wednesday, 12/30: Skills clinic, 7:30-9:30pm @ Mercer Island Country Club (indoor facility)

Cost:
$20 for all 3 days

Panelists and clinic leaders will include: Marco Stanchi (Stanford), Tim Hummel (Loyola Marymount), Liz Kreek (Arizona State), Topher Lacrampe (Occidental), Coach David Carson (George Washington University)

Registration will be available soon on the Rain City web site:

http://www.raincitypolo.com/registration/winter-clinic

Winter Water Polo Starts December 1

The Enumclaw Pool and Enumclaw High School will offer Open Pool Water Polo workouts on Tuesday and Thursday nights, from 8:00-9:30, starting on Tuesday, December 1. Workouts are intended for young athletes interested in learning about water polo and learning and practicing water polo skills. This is an excellent opportunity to try water polo during the off-season, and prepare for the upcoming high school season.

Workouts are supervised by EHS coaches and led by veteran high school players

Workouts are open to middle school boys, and middle and high school girls from any school. For more information, contact EHS coach Bob Averill at enumclawpolo@gmail.com.

Curtis Vikings Win State Championship Title

The Curtis High School Boys Water Polo Team finished their undefeated 2015 campaign with a win over Bellevue in the State Championship game on Saturday to claim the Washington State Boys Water Polo State Championship.

The dramatic win, 9-7 in overtime, claimed the title from the four-time defending State champion Bellevue Wolverines.

The two teams played to a 1-1 tie after one period, and Curtis held a slim 2-1 halftime advantage. The Vikings stretched their lead to two goals after three periods, but Bellevue fought back to tie the game 6-6 at the end of regulation play.

High school rules mandate two three-minute overtime periods in the event of a tie, even if one team holds a lead after the first overtime. Curtis held a 7-6 lead after one overtime, and sealed the deal with a 9-7 lead at the end of the second overtime, to clinch the win.

The Vikings went undefeated throughout their 2015 season, with an average margin of victory of 13 goals in their regular season games. Curtis had convincing wins over their division opponents to claim first place in the South Division. and won the Region II Championship to qualify for State.

This was the third time in the past four years that Curtis and Bellevue have faced off in the championship game. The Wolverines have won the championship four the previous four years; the Vikings held the previous title, in 2010.

All-Tournament Teams

MVP Sam Abbott - Curtis
MVP Defense AJ Rossman - Bellevue
MVP Goalie Andrew Gronlund - Curtis
Coach of the Year Dennis Piccolotto - Curtis

First Team
Andrew Gronlund - Curtis
Sam Abbott - Curtis
Ryan St. John - Curtis
Cameron Hayes - Bellevue
Zack Rossman - Bellevue
Conner Vacca - Mercer Island
Beau Pasquier - Puyallup

Second Team
Troy Friedman - Curtis
Garrett Friedman - Curtis
AJ Rossman - Bellevue
Mario Abdel Shahed - Bellevue
Ford Witman - Mercer Island
Hunter Peshkin - Mercer Island
Christian Braddock - Puyallup

Honorable Mention
David Ling - Curtis
Mina Abdel Shahed - Bellevue
Erik Raisys - Mercer Island
Austin Stump - Puyallup
Dawson Allen - Gig Harbor
Jake Underwood - Gig Harbor
Taylor Power - Roosevelt
Wilson Ives - Roosevelt
Jake Davies - Kentridge
Jonathan Borte - Kentridge
Alex Toney - Auburn Mountainview 

Washington State Tournament Results

Washington State Tournament Results

Thursday, November 12
Puyallup 14, Roosevelt 7
Bellevue 22, Auburn Mountainview 6
Mercer Island 18, Kentridge 4
Curtis 19, Gig Harbor 0

Friday, November 13
Roosevelt 13, Auburn Mountainview 11
Gig Harbor 19, Kentridge 7
Bellevue 16, Puyallup 6
Curtis 11, Mercer Island 5

Saturday, November 14
Puyallup 9, Gig Harbor 2
Mercer Island 17, Roosevelt 7
Kentridge 12, Auburn Mountainview 11 OT
Gig Harbor 14, Roosevelt 8
Mercer Island 14, Puyallup 13
Curtis 9, Bellevue 7

1st Curtis
2nd Bellevue
3rd Mercer Island
4th Puyallup
5th Gig Harbor
6th Roosevelt
7th Kentridge
8th Auburn Mountainview

Check out this site after the tournament for more detailed coverage.

Bellevue and Curtis Play for State Championship

For the third time in the past four years, Bellevue and Curtis will square off in the Washington State Boys High School Water Polo Championship Game, on Saturday, November 14.

Four-time defending State Champion Bellevue beat Puyallup 16-6 in the first semi-final game on Friday to qualify for the title game. Undefeated Curtis earned their opportunity with an 11-5 win over Mercer Island in Friday's second semi-final. The championship game will take place at Curtis High School at 7:00 Saturday to conclude the State Tournament.

Earlier on Friday, Roosevelt beat Auburn Mountainview 13-11, and Gig Harbor beat Kentridge 18-11. Auburn Mountainview and Kentridge will play a consolation game at 1:00 Saturday.

Roosevelt will face Mercer Island, and Gig Harbor will play Puyallup, with the winners of those two game advancing to the 3rd place/4th place game at 5:00. The losing teams of those two games will play for 5th/6th place at 3:00.

Congratulations to all eight teams for successful seasons!

Local Clubs Offer Clinics with Hungarian Water Polo Coach Andres Merezs

Two area water polo clubs are offering water polo clinics this weekend, featuring former Hungarian Water Polo Coach Andres Merezs.

On Saturday, November 14, the Northwest Water Polo Club (NWPC) will be hosting a clinic at Woodridge Pool in Bellevue, WA from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The clinic is open to athletes of all ages, and costs $50.

Athletes will get a chance to learn Hungarian style drills and work on individual skills with one of the top coaches in the world.

Clinic time and location are subject to change. For more information, or to register, check out the NWPC web site:

http://northwestwaterpoloclub.com/nov-14-hungarian-clinic.html

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On Sunday, November 15, Auburn Riverside High School will host two separate clinics at the Auburn Pool, one from 9:00 a.m. to noon, the other from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Each clinic is open to athletes of all ages, and costs $35.

To register for the Auburn Riverside clinic, click here.

Puyallup, Bellevue, Mercer Island, and Curtis Advance to Washington State Semi-Finals

After one day of State tournament play, four teams – Puyallup, Bellevue, Mercer Island, and Curtis – will advance to Friday's semi-final games, and the possibility of advancing to the Washington State Championship Game on Saturday night

With wins on Thursday, Puyallup and Bellevue advanced to Friday's first semi-final game, at 6:30. Mercer Island and Curtis will face off in Friday's second semi-final game, at 8:00. The winners from the two semi-final games will compete in the Washington State Championship Game at 7:00 Saturday night.

The four teams that lost in Thursday's opening round – Roosevelt, Auburn Mountainview, Kentridge, and Gig Harbor – can still finish as high as third place in State. Roosevelt and Auburn Mountainview will play at 3:30 on Friday; Kentridge will face Gig Harbor at 5:00.

Follow this site and our Twitter feed @EnumclawPolo for results throughout the tournament.

Washington State Tournament Starts Thursday

The Washington boys high school State Water Polo Tournament takes place this weekend, starting on Thursday, November 12, at Curtis High School, in University Place, WA. Eight teams will compete for the State title, after advancing through last weekend's Regional Tournaments.

Four teams advanced to the tournament from Region I, including three teams from the North Division. Defending State Champion Bellevue return to defend their title, after winning the Region I championship with three wins at Regionals. Also advancing out of Region I are Mercer Island, Roosevelt, and Gig Harbor.

Curtis claimed the Region II title – with convincing wins over Auburn, Auburn Mountainview, and Puyallup – to advance to State. Puyallup, Kentridge, and Auburn Mountainview also move on to the State tournament from Region II.

All eight teams competing will play at least one game each on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, hoping to compete in the State Championship game at 7:00 on Saturday, November 14.

Congratulations to all teams, and best of luck at the tournament.

Tournament results will be posted on this site. Game results will be posted on our Twitter feed @EnumclawPolo.

Washington State Regional Tournament Results

Washington State boys water polo season concluded their opening round of post-season play on Saturday, November 7, after two days of Regional Tournament competition.

Eight teams qualified for each of the two tournaments, and the top four finishers from each tournament will advance to next weekends' State Tournament, held Thursday through Saturday, November 12-14, at Curtis High School,

Posted below are the results from the Regional Tournaments. The teams that will advance to the State Tournament are: Region I – Bellevue, Mercer Island, Roosevelt, and Gig Harbor; Region II – Curtis, Puyallup, Kentridge, Auburn Mountainview.

The State bracket will be posted on this site shortly.

Regionals – Day One Results, Day Two Schedule

Day one of Washington State's two regional tournaments is over, with two teams from the North Division and two from the South advancing to tomorrow's regional title games, and an automatic berth at next weekend's State tournament.

In the Region I Tournament, at Rogers High School, four teams from the North Division  – Bellevue, Newport, Mercer Island, and Roosevelt – won their first round games. Bellevue and Mercer Island won their second round games and will square off in Saturday's Region I Championship at 4:30; both teams will advance to State.

In the Region II Tournament, at Curtis High School, Puyallup, Kentridge, Auburn Mountainview, and Curtis each won their opening round game. Two teams from the South Division, Puyallup and Curtis won their games in the second round, advancing them to the Region II Championship Game, and earning them entry into the State Tournament.

Two additional teams from each region will qualify for State by advancing to the Regional Semi-Final games on Saturday. Follow this site and our Twitter feed @EnumclawPolo for information throughout the post-season,

CORRECTION – In an earlier post, we had listed Shorewood as finishing fourth in the North Division. Shorewood and Newport tied for fourth place in their division. As a result, the two teams played a tie-breaker playoff game on Tuesday. Newport won the tie-breaker to advance to the Regional Tournament as the North Division's fourth seed.

We apologize for any confusion we may have caused.

Hornets Finish Season with Win Over Stadium

Hornet Senior Evan O'Neill

The Enumclaw High School Boys Water Polo Team concluded their 2015 season with an exciting 8-7 win over the visiting Stadium Tigers.

The game was close throughout, with the score tied five times.

Enumclaw senior Evan O'Neill, playing in his last high school game, scored the game's first goal, on the Hornets' first possession. The two teams traded goals before finishing the first quarter with a 2-2 tie.

Both teams scored once through the second period until the Tigers' Michael Marr scored with three seconds left, to give Stadium a 4-3 halftime edge.

The teams played evenly through the third, and Stadium held a one point lead going into the final period.

The defensive pressure continued in the final quarter, and both teams were held scoreless until Nathan March tied the game with a quick power play goal with 2:44 left in the game. Enumclaw's Adam Percival put the Hornets ahead with a goal with 1:42 left, but Stadium's Zach Bennett tied the game 7-7 on the Tigers next possession.

Kyle Morgan put Enumclaw ahead with 55 seconds left, and the Hornets stopped Stadium on their next possession, and controlled the ball until the buzzer, to secure the 8-7 win.

Nathan March led the Hornets' scoring with three goals; O'Neill and Morgan scored two each, and Percival scored one. Junior goalkeeper Brett Butler grabbed 13 saves, and added to the offense with two assists and three shot attempts. O'Neill earned nine steals, and O'Neill and March were able to draw three exclusion fouls each on Stadium players.

The young Hornet squad did not earn a post-season berth, but they only graduate one senior, and have gained extensive experience to bring to the 2016 season.

Post-Season Play Starts Friday

Post-season play in Washington State boys water polo starts on Friday, November 6, with Regional Tournaments in Puyallup and University Place.

The top four teams from the North and West Divisions will compete in the Region I Tournament, at Puyallup's Rogers High School.

In University Place, Curtis High School will host the Region II Tournament, where the top four teams from the South and East will compete. The top four teams from each Regional Tournament will advance to the State Tournament, held November 12-14 at Curtis High School.

Both Regional Tournament will take place on Friday, November 6, and Saturday, November 7.

Follow this site and our Twitter feed @EnumclawPolo for updated results throughout the post-season. Best of Luck to all the teams!

Five regular season games remain this week, before the post-season action starts. Listed below are the remaining games, as posted on the officials' schedule. Remember, all games are subject to change, so check with your team.

Tuesday, November 3
5:00 Auburn Mountainview 0 at Curtis 19
7:30 Stadium 7 at Enumclaw 8
8:40 Sammamish at Kentridge (Lindbergh HS)
9:00 Newport at Shorewood (Shoreline)

Wednesday, November 4
7:15 Stadium at Rogers