Gallery • 8 Photos

Lily Kilgore

Freshman Storm Jackson extends his arm back to garner power for his shot at the Hawks' goal.

Tensions were high going into the weekend as the boys’ varsity water polo team matched up against the Tamalpais Hawks in the North Coast Section (NCS) Division One final. Despite beating the Hawks in their last two matchups, the pressures of securing the title created a close matchup.
After the first three quarters of scoring back and forth, the Giants were able to gain control in the final quarter, ending the game in a 12-9 victory.
After the initial celebrations were over, senior co-captain Sawyer Goldberg felt proud of how far the team had come.
“It’s super special to prove that we can win [Division One] when we were on the cusp of open and prove that we deserve to be with the same teams,” Goldberg said.
Despite a strong first quarter ending in a 5-2 advantage, the Hawks did not deter, coming back to even the score at 6-6 by the end of the first half. The game continued with palpable ferocity as the third quarter ended in a tie; both teams scored three goals, leaving the score at 9-9l. Junior goalie Owen Malone was a standout performer, keeping the Giants in the game even when the Hawks pushed hard.
Multiple players scored for the Giants, with sophomore Maddox McClellan scoring three goals. Senior co-captains Goldberg and Ossie Joplin also contributed to the game with two goals each and many defensive steals.
“We knew they were going to come out with some different strategies as well so we had to switch it up,” Joplin said.
Goldberg shared the same sentiment aswith Joplin.
“Every championship game is going to be intense and close no matter what, so we came in and we knew that we had to play with intensity to close it out,” Goldberg said.
Head coach Rudy Kardos believes that the team’s success comes from the strong depth and support from their bench. said,
“We have a solid starting six with players who are ready to help from the bench,” Kardos said. ” adding that, “[They] have huge support from the bench, moral support and physical support and all the kids contributed.”
Kardos attributed part of the win to the strong team bond both in the pool and out.
“This is probably one of the better teams as friendship goes and they really play for each other,” Kardos said.
The boys will hope to continue their success this season, in a home NorCal game against The Harker School on Nov. 19th.