Ranking 22nd in the nation, the men’s water polo team moves to the playoffs with a clean 22-4 record and undefeated in district, according to MaxPreps. The Woman’s team ranks 55th in the nation and also moves towards the state title. The team has dominated nearly every team they played, which is the main reason for the team’s national ranking. However, with other state contenders like Brazoswood barely behind Creek, it’s sure to be a fight till the finish for the state title, as the season nears its end.
“We are doing really well,” Junior Attacker Jamie De Zwart said. “This is the best year in the history of Clear Creek Water Polo in a long time, and it feels nice to be recognized like this.”
Water Polo has historically been one of the top sports at Creek in terms of performance, with the team showing dominance across several decades. This success can be contributed to many reasons, including coaching and player skill. Senior Goalie Ashton East shuts out teams like Brook, Lake, and Falls, and has been a key part of the team’s defense.
“It feels nice to have our hard work show in national recognition,” East said. “We have an opportunity to be something incredible and hope for as many titles as possible come the end of the year.”
East has been one of the stars so far this season, along with the offense, and every starter showing their ability to steal the spotlight on a game to game basis. De Zwart leads the team in steals with a whopping 17 of them and he leads the team in assists with 10 so far. Caden Digby, the designated sharpshooter has 35 goals, 54 shots, and 37 total points, leading the district in total goals. This even stat-line distribution showcases the team’s selflessness and all-around skillset, both crucial to why the team has been so successful.
“The key to our success is teamwork,” Men’s Coach Anthony Halford said. “The players’ synergy and teamwork are the heart of our teams’ success, and as long as we have those two traits going; few teams in the nation can compete with us.”
Alongside the men, the women have been able to thrive this year as well, providing water polo with some of the program’s best efforts ever from both genders. This effort for the women have translated to their own success with them being led by Senior Attacker Eve Hewett who has 39 goals and four assists, Junior Sophie Webber who has 11 assists and 13 steals, and Junior goalkeeper Shamarie Smith, who has a whopping 15 saves. The team has a 16-7-1 record, but alongside the men’s, they too have won the district title with a perfect 8-0 record in district and are looking to state to showcase how strong they truly are.
“I’m happy about how we’ve played so far,” Junior Winger Paige Ashna said. “We are looking strong heading into playoffs, and we should beat LaPorte easily, a team we face on Friday.”
Despite a few slipups, men’s and women’s water polo has been able to thrive and present the school and the nation with an amazing performance. The boy’s team starts their state playoffs run with North Shore in Round one as their state run continues with haste and the team is hopeful it all leads up to glory never seen before. As for the woman’s team, their run in the playoffs starts off with LaPorte on Friday, with the same goals with as the men’s and their own fire to fight for the title that they believe should be theirs by the time the playoffs end.
