On the vibrant afternoon of Oct. 1, 2024, at the Ventura Aquatic Center the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys water polo team prepared for a close match that would be decisive in determining the momentum for the season going forward. The Dragons clashed in the water against Cate School (Cate) in a nail biting game which ended in an unfortunate loss for Foothill Tech 10-13.
Following their recent win against Villanova Preparatory School (Villanova), the Dragons went into this game reinvigorated and eager to boost morale and secure another victory for the season.
The first quarter set the stage for Foothill Tech as they attempted to take an early lead, but instead found themselves falling short of Cate’s offensive strengths in the water. With notable shots by Turner Stehle ‘25, by way of a penalty shot and Jayden Wallace ‘25, who asserted himself over the defensively strong Cate line up, the Dragons came out strong early in the game. They were able to battle their way through the quarter and close out the first quarter up 3-2.
The following quarter highlighted the equal strength of both teams as they’d continue to match each other, not allowing either team to take over any lead without being within striking distance of one another. The second quarter would be particularly low scoring as both teams struggled early to find their offensive footing, but with some well placed shots by Foothill Tech, they’d keep up with the Cate’s efforts to take the lead and ended the half tied 5-5.
Aiden Cummings ‘25 commented on the game, stating, “I played a pretty good game. My defense recently has been really on point. I got some good knock downs and made them make lousy pressure passes … Overall I think it was a good game of water polo.”
Returning after halftime, both teams were aware they needed to begin to make moves and pull away if they wanted a chance to win the game. With some impressive shots by Wallace and Dean Liddell ‘27, the Dragons battled to keep the game close but faltered in the late stages of the quarter and ended the third quarter down 8-11 and in need of a comeback.
The fourth quarter unfortunately sealed the Dragons fate, as they were unable to overcome the gap created in the former quarter. Despite this they did their best to keep up with Cate but couldn’t find the momentum needed to take over, and would conclude the quarter and the game at a 10-13 loss.
Stehle commented on the game and his own performance, saying, “For me it was a solid game. [Cate] had some really good defense, but I was still able to put shots on the cage and put away five goals out of our ten.”
With this loss the Dragons look ahead to their next game hoping for redemption on Oct. 4, 2024, against Claremont High School.
