The boys varsity Water Polo team beat Dr. Phillips to become the State Champions for the sixth time last Saturday.

The State tournament took place over the weekend at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. The Raiders beat Seminole Seminoles 14-8 in the semi-final game and the Dr. Phillips Panthers 9-8 in the final. Senior and captain Gabe Lewis scored five out of the nine goals and was fundamental for the team’s success in the game and in the season as a whole.

“I’m very happy with the way I performed in the final and in the entire season. Having the responsibility of being a captain allowed me to be a leader and make sure we bonded as a team,” Lewis said. “We laughed together, we cried together, and through it all, we grew stronger together. Winning states was something extremely special for all of us,” he added.

Another key player this season was goalkeeper and sophomore Juan Sebastian Ibarra. It was his first ever year playing goalkeeper and he was responsible for having 12 saves, two of those being five meter shots.  

“Saving those two five meters was something I will never forget. I still can’t believe that I was able to do that and I’m super excited for the next two years because I want to win again. There was a lot of preparation going into states, I would train every day and thanks to all the coaches I was able to excel playing goalie,” Ibarra said.

Before heading to States, the Raiders had lost to the Panthers three times during the regular season. But, with tremendous amounts of hard work in and out of the pool, the Raiders were able to play their game and come out victorious. 

“I will say this team had a lot of fun all season long. We practiced six days a week, attended injury prevention three times a week and conditioned and trained hard,” Head Coach Carroll Vaughn said. “This win was a team effort, there were numerous athletes during different situations in our postseason that came up huge,” she added.

The boys team will be honored during the halftime of the Lacrosse home game this Wednesday at the Sean Taylor 01’ Memorial Field.