The Ville water polo teams pose with their fourth and third place State Championship trophies. “Both teams making the final four in the same year is a major historic feat for this program,” Walters said. Photos courtesy of Nathan Baker and Alexa Matoushek
Wednesday, May 15, the Ville boys water polo team fought hard till the end, losing against MICDS and placing fourth at the MHSAA State Championship.
“It went pretty well. I scored one goal and got two assists. I think we had a lot of good passing and worked as a team. But I think that we need to just work on some shooting drills,” varsity player Nathan Baker (11) said.
The boys were winning for most of the first half until the opposing team got up by two and overtook them.
“It felt really good because we worked so hard in the offseason, and I feel like we’ve all really grown from practicing so much,” Baker said.
The players also did several things, including practicing harder, to prepare for the state game.
“The main thing I did to prepare was to practice hard, eat healthy food and get good sleep,” Ben Govero (11) said.
Last year, the team placed sixth, but this year, with extra motivation, they were able to place higher.
“Just friends motivated me because we all play polo. And I love that we all have things in common (love for water polo) that really push me,” Baker said.
The final score of the game was 15-10, finishing up the season for the boys team.
“Both teams bought into our process, put years of playing club, swimming and lifting into this season,” coach Brett Walters said. “We couldn’t be more proud of these finishes.”
Tuesday, May 14, the girls water polo team placed third at the MHSAA State Championship, winning 11-8 against Kirkwood High School.
“I got two goals in the third quarter. I don’t remember all of the assists that I got, but I had multiple. During the first half, I was really hoping that we could come out on top in the end, and we were successful,” Olivia Altis (10).
Last year, the Ville girls placed fifth, but this year, with no one on their starting line up injured, they were able to be stronger than ever.
“It felt amazing. It’s hard to explain, but I was really proud of myself for playing in the game and making a difference to the score,” Atlis said, “also that I contributed to winning third place.”
After this exciting win, the girls took the celebration to Chick-Fil-A and hoped to continue their team success in the future.
Walters said, “We hope to keep building on this awesome momentum.”
