Your humble scribe forgot to include the write-up on the big Junior Varsity win over Memorial last Friday night in last week’s write up,  so here it is. Unfortunately the notes and memory are not as clear as they would have been last week, so my apologies if it didn’t happen exactly as it is written, but the end result was a big Spartan victory.

vs. Memorial

The Mighty Spartans took on the red rivals in their first match-up of the season and the kick-off to their District schedule at the Spring Branch Natatorium on Friday, September 7. Like all recent water polo match-ups between these two rivals, this was a very physical and emotional contest but one in which many Spartans would shine.

The boys jumped out to a quick lead, scoring the first three goals of the game. Diego Oliver also got off to a great start as goalie with several key saves in the quarter. The Mustangs would not just roll over and eventually did get on the board with back-to-back goals to cut the lead to 3-2 at the end of the first period.

The Spartans would answer with a goal of their own early in the second quarter to push the lead back to 2 goals and then extend the lead further to 5-2. The pesky Mustangs would once again answer with 2 goals of their own to close the lead to 6-4 at the half.

The second half would see the Mustangs come out hot and score two goals to tie it at 6. The Spartans were determined and would answer with 2 goals of their own to extend the lead back to 2 goals at 8-6. Memorial would get one goal toward the end of the period to close within 1.

Fortunately for the Spartans that would be as close as the Mustangs would get. Memorial scored their final goal of the game to close the lead to 9-8, but the Spartans answered down the stretch with 2 more goals to close out with a very hard-fought 11-8 victory.

Though the exact numbers were not kept, Brock Hunter, Samuel Brooks, and Jack Robertson each scored multiple goals in the game, and Diego Oliver was outstanding in goal in this victory. The entire team brought the trademark Spartan toughness to the defensive end in this epic battle.

vs. Strake Jesuit

Following the big game against Memorial, the JV quickly faced off against another District rival this past Tuesday when they took on the Strake Jesuit Crusaders at the SBISD Natatorium. Strake Jesuit jumped out to a quick lead when they scored on their fist possession. They would add a second goal just over a minute later to take the 2-0 lead and then follow it up with a third goal less than halfway through the period. The Spartans would then get things cleaned up on defense and really start to battle the Crusaders. Strake would eventually put in another goal to take a 4-0 lead, but the Spartans would quickly counter when Delsyn Brisbin put one into the back of the net and finally got the Spartans on the board, closing the quarter down 4-1.

The second period would see both defenses get locked-in and really battle hard. Both teams had their shots, but Diego Oliver and his counterpart were up to the task and kept both teams at bay for most of the period. A late Strake goal with :35 second remaining was the only goal in the period and led to a 5-1 Spartan deficit.

The third quarter would see the Spartans continue their strong defensive play. Strake would score with 2:30 to go in the period but the Spartans would answer with a Gavin Rump goal and a second goal from Delsyn Brisbin, leading to the Spartans winning the quarter and cutting the lead to 6-3.

Unfortunately, the 4th quarter would be all Crusaders as they would cruise to an 11-4 victory with the lone bright spot being Gavin Rump’s second goal of the game.

This past weekend the JV squad headed to their first JV tournament of the season to take on some top JV teams in the area at the Cy Fair Natatorium. The first game on Friday would see them taking on Cy Ranch.

vs. Cy Ranch

The Spartans jumped on the board first when Brock Hunter fired one in the back of the net and extended the lead 30 seconds later when Sam Brooks put one in the goal. Cy Ranch would then answer to cut the lead to 2-1, but the Spartans came right back when Jack Robertson joined the scoring party. The final 1:30 of the period would see a scoring flurry as Cy Ranch got their second goal and then the Spartans quickly answered when Wade Hicks got on the board to make it 4-2 Spartans. Cy Ranch did not give up and would score 2 more goals in the last 30 seconds, including one right at the buzzer to tie things up at the end of the first.

The second period would see the defenses establish themselves as a lone Brock Hunter goal would be the only scoring. The third period would see more offense as each team scored three goals. Wade Hicks, Luke Ickes, and Charles Goodman each found the back of the net for the Spartans, who finished the period with an 8-7 lead.

The Spartans would extend their lead to 9-7 when Delsyn Brisbin scored, but the boys from Cy Ranch did not let up. They came back scoring the last three goals of the game including the game-winner with just over a minute to play to sneak out the 10-9 win over the boys in green. Still, this was a great overall team effort with 7 different players scoring goals.

vs. Bridgeland

Due to publishing deadlines, we will have to be brief on the other games. Game 2 would see the Spartans take on a familiar foe in Bridgeland, whom they defeated earlier in the season. This game would see the same result as the Spartans came out on top 12-9. Brock Hunter led the way with 3 goals, while Gavin Rump, Sam Brooks, and Delsyn Brisbin each chipped in 2 apiece. Charles Goodman, Carter Phillips, and Charlie Moore each got on the score sheet as well.

vs. Cy Woods

Game 3 of the tournament was on Saturday morning against Cy Woods and would see the Spartans come out victorious again with an 8-6 triumph. Diego Oliver would once again lead the way in goal and Gavin Rump would power the offense with 4 goals in the game. Brady Herring and Charles Amis would get their first goals of the weekend, while Delsyn Brisbin and Wade Hicks added to their totals in the win.

vs. Cy Creek

Game 4 would see the Spartans come up a little short as they fell to a very solid Cy Creek team 6-3. This was a real defensive battle throughout. Charlie Moore, Gavin Rump, and Delsyn Brisbin each contributed a goal apiece.

Overall this was a great weekend of Water Polo for the JV boys with many boys playing their best games of the season in this tournament. The boys are looking forward to carrying this success into their second District matchup with Memorial this Friday.