On Tuesday, August 27, both Stratford Varsity and JV Boys Water Polo Teams played at Strake Jesuit. 

JV

vs. Strake Jesuit

First up was the JV game where they showed their dominance in a 9-4 victory. Playing games up in Dallas really paid off for this young team!

VARSITY

vs. Strake Jesuit

The Varsity team started their game off slow, behind at the half 3-7. The second half they played much better, and the match came down to the very last second. Unfortunately, they were ultimately defeated 11-12. Offensive standouts were Wade Hicks with 4 goals (making 3 out of 4 penalty shots) and an assist, Devon Beals with 2 goals and an assist, Nathan Moss with 1 goal and an assist, and Brock Hunter who added another goal. As goalie, Diego Oliver had 7 blocks and 3 steals. Strake is one of the better teams in the Houston area, and if Stratford can continue to grow as a team, they have a chance to shine in District.

CCISD TOURNAMENT

Later in the week, on Friday and Saturday, the Stratford Varsity Boys Water Polo Team played in the CCISD Tournament in Clear Creek. Teams across the Houston area played two games each day.

vs. Jersey Village

The first game for Stratford was against Jersey Village on Friday. This was a close game with a 5-4 lead after the first, and an 8-7 lead at the half. Stratford pulled away in the end and won the game 18-14. The team had one of its highest scoring efforts against a good team, and everyone who played contributed. All around good game with Nathan Moss with 4 goals, 3 assists, and 4 steals and Devon Beals with 4 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and a goal. The defense struggled a little with Jersey Village scoring, but Diego Oliver as goalie had 6 blocks and 2 steals.

vs. Davenport

The second game on Friday was against Davenport. Stratford jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after the first quarter and maintained that lead throughout the game, adding 8 fourth-quarter points to win 18-10. In this game the bench was cleared early and everyone got playing time. Wade Hicks had 4 goals and 2 assists, Delsyn Brisbin had 3 goals, 2 assists, and 1 block. Nathan Moss added 4 goals in the fourth, while both Julian Hemmer and Marin Pavlin added 2 goals apiece.

vs. Cy Ranch

On Saturday, Stratford played its first game against Cy Ranch, who came in at 8th in the state with an 11-3 record. Stratford had the early lead after the first quarter 3-2, but Cy Ranch poured it on, beating Stratford by a score of 17-7. Ricky Conticello, Marin Pavlin, and Wade Hicks all scored two goals each, and Brock Hunter scored one.

vs. Clear Brook

The second game on Saturday was against Clear Brook. Stratford was down after the first quarter 3-5 but took over and won the game 19-10. Another game where the underclassmen got extensive time in the pool, this was one of the better games in the turnover category with only four. Julian Hemmer had 5 goals, Delsyn Brisbin had 3 goals, and Ricky Conticello and Gavin Rump each had 2 goals.