The boys’ water polo team defeated Long Beach Wilson High School in a home game 18-15.
With key starters Connor Kim ’25 injured with a corneal abrasion and and Otto Stothart ’25 placed on concussion protocol — injuries sustained from last weekend’s South Coast Tournament — the Wolverines’ reserves were put to the test against an energetic Bruins’ squad.
Senior attacker Taj Draper ’25 converted a five-meter penalty to open the game, followed up by junior attacker Harrison Bowman ’26 and sophomore center Harry Siafaris ’27 with a goal each. After leading 3-0, the teams traded a goal and a Wilson attacker added another to make it 4-3. Bowman and Draper would each score apiece before the quarter ended at a score of 6-4.
Siafaris would tally a hat trick to start the second quarter to make it 7-4, but the Wolverines’ defense came out sluggish, giving up three unanswered goals off of exclusions. Bowman would score two in a row on power-play conversions, making it 9-7, but they would trade goals to make the score 10-9.
In the second half both teams continued to score on each other, playing in fast-paced offenses. Senior center defender Collin Caras ’25 scored three goals in the second half, and near the end of the game, with minutes to go, he elevated and sank a six-meter shot to gain a three-goal lead.
The team will face Orange County powerhouses Newport Harbor High School and JSerra Catholic High School this Saturday and next Tuesday, respectively. The Wolverines lost to Newport Harbor in a semifinal tournament game last weekend 17–5 and will look to adapt without key players Kim and Stothart.
