Davis comes up short 7-8 on Senior Night

PHOTO: Sophomore James McMeekin gets ready to pass the ball to his teammate as defense tightens up.

Photo by Kamylle Ancheta

By Aubrey Hibbard and Athena Kreylos

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

The Davis High men’s varsity water polo team lost to Rocklin High 8-7 on Oct. 22.

The game was Davis’ Senior Night and the last home game of the season, but the team is already guaranteed to be in the playoffs.

Rocklin had a strong start, leaving Davis at a loss early on.  “They scored half their points in the first quarter; imagine running a 100-meter race but you start 50 meters behind,” coach Tracy Stapleton said.

Despite Davis’ setback at the beginning of the second half, the team found a way to get back in the game with junior Luke Wright scoring Davis’ first goal. “We finally turned it on after that [the first quarter], but it was too late,” sophomore James McMeekin said.

Davis scored four more goals in the third quarter, bringing the score up to 7-5. 

In the final quarter, Davis brought the difference down to one point. The score was 7-6, with possession flying between the two teams. Both teams scored one more point. Ultimately, Rocklin fouled, giving Davis the opportunity for a 5-meter penalty shot. 

Davis shot the ball, but narrowly missed with the Rocklin goalie leaping out of the pool to block it with his chest. 

Stapleton attributes their loss to a lack of communication and defense, and players agree. “We need to go harder in the beginning,” freshman Alex Plant said.

During the Senior Night ceremony before the game, Stapleton acknowledged and congratulated seniors Jake Hughes and goalie Shuzhi Zheng.