Davis takes on Oak Ridge in 21-6 win

PHOTO: Junior Shuzhi Zheng readies to stop a shot at the goal.

By Simon Kim & Godolias Mesfin

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Davis men’s varsity water polo team triumphs over Oak Ridge 21-6 in league home game.

Families and fans filled the bleachers on Oct. 21, to watch the Davis Blue Devils men’s varsity water polo team in a rematch against the Oak Ridge Trojans. The crowd cheered for the Devils as they dominated the Trojans, with a final score of 21-6.

Davis ended the first quarter up 4-2, with two goals from both attacker senior Alex Erickson and attacker sophomore Luke Wright.

The Devils carried the momentum into the second quarter. Two back-to-back goals from utility player sophomore Will Cutler and a goal from Erickson early in the quarter, led to Oak Ridge calling a time-out.

Not a single goal was scored by the Trojans during the second quarter due to relentless offense from the Devils, along with multiple blocked shots from goalkeeper junior Shuzhi Zheng.

Many successful plays came from the triangle formations created by pairs of players such as Erickson and Wright. The Devil’s vision and ability to create and spot weaknesses in the Trojans allowed the team to win with a final score of 21-6.

This was one of the last few games that influenced Davis’s league standing and playoff position. “It’s kind of wild how it can play out,” Coach Tracy Stapleton said. “It comes down to the end.”

Davis has two more games against Jesuit and Rocklin this season, which will make them league champion if they win both games. Stapleton is confident that the team has potential to take the trophy. “We’ve beaten Rocklin and we’ve beaten Jesuit before,” Stapleton said.