Gallery • 6 Photos

Estelle Smith

Sophomore Maddox McCllelan gets ready to take a shot on goal.

On Nov. 21, the boys’ varsity water polo team faced a heartbreaking loss in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) NorCal DII Championships Semifinals against the Clovis Cougars. Despite a determined effort and standout performances, the Giants just fell short, losing 9-10 and bringing their season to a close.
The Giants came out strong in the first quarter, with freshman Storm Jackson scoring the opening goal, followed by senior and team co-captain Ossie Joplin scoring another to keep the team in the game. Clovis, however, matched their energy, keeping the score tight as the quarter closed.
In the second quarter, Joplin scored two more goals, and senior Lucas Knauer scored one. By halftime, Clovis had scored a total of six goals, leaving the Giants down 5-6. Rudy Kardos, the team’s head coach since 2011, acknowledged one of the key challenges the team faced.
“We gave them too many easy goals…it’s hard to come back from that,” Kardos said.
Regardless, the team’s confidence was high as they regrouped. The beginning of the third quarter saw the score at 6-6 thanks to yet another clutch goal from Joplin. Junior goalkeeper Owen Malone was an absolute wall, making spectacular saves to keep the Giants in the game. Despite Malone’s efforts, Clovis managed two goals, putting the team behind at 6-8. Followed by another goal from the Cougars and a crucial goal from sophomore Jacob Engberg, the third quarter ended at 7-9.
The Giants’ grit and determination shined in the final quarter. Sophomore Maddox McCllelan brought Redwood closer with a critical goal, narrowing the score to 8-9. Clovis responded quickly, making it 8-10, but the Giants refused to give up. In the game’s final moments, McCllelan delivered a perfect assist to Joplin, who scored to close the gap to 9-10.
Although their efforts were relentless, the Giants ran out of time to tie the score, leaving the game with a close 9-10 loss to Clovis.
“You can’t win them all, and it sucks when it’s the one for the last game,” Kudos said. “We can go back and look and question every ball, question this, question that…[but] it was one of those nights, it just wasn’t our game.”
The loss marked the end of a hard-fought season for the team, who demonstrated remarkable teamwork and resilience. Coach Kudos reflected on the team’s achievements.
“Since I’ve been here, I think this would have been our first season being undefeated in our home pool,” Kudos said. “I think the kids have to be very proud of themselves. This was a very good season.”