Water polo made its final splash in playoffs, closing the season after the girls’ lost to Johnson in the first round of the playoffs. 

With a loss at the start of the season, the team faced grief, which ultimately gave them a renewed sense of purpose and unity.

“The biggest challenge (of the year) was definitely losing Coach Clarkson in the beginning,” head coach Heidi Duckworth said. “This year was about attitude and effort; qualities important to Coach Clarkson.”

Former head wrestling coach Tim Clarkson took over as head water polo coach this summer, but he unexpectedly passed away in August.

“I’m very proud about how far our team came with all the struggles and unexpected challenges we faced in the beginning of the season,” junior Bella Edwards said. “We truly came together in a time of uncertainty and practiced hard to do the best we could.”

Both the boys’ and girls’ teams showed great determination as they swam off into the season. The boys wrapped up their season with an overall record of 1-11 and a district record of 0-6. On the other hand, the girls finished strong with an overall record of 4-8 and a district record of 2-5.

“Both the boys and girls improved tremendously,” Duckworth said. “Many of them came out this summer with little swim experience. We grew from beginners at swimming laps to being expert water treaders. Both teams got better every game.”

The standout scorers of the season were Edwards for the girls’ team and junior Nicholas Shippee for the boys’ team.

“I became a much stronger water polo player and leader,” Edwards said. “I was one of the top shooters on the team and from my freshman year to now, I believe I have grown in my skills as a player. I was also able to share a lot of my experience with the new players as well.”

The girls’ record earned them a spot in the playoffs, where they faced off against Johnson, ultimately losing 6-16. However, this result highlights their growth; earlier in the season, they had suffered a 21-1 defeat to the same team

“I think the team can continue to work on all skills of offense and defense to improve for next season together,” Edwards said. “I think that next year coming back together we can be a better and stronger team and go farther than bi-districts like this year.”