Buchanan boys and Clovis girls water polo teams continue dominance in the pool
The Buchanan High boys water polo team stressed legacy while the Clovis girls team looked at unity.
Each continued its Central Section championship streak.
Top-seeded Buchanan defeated No. 2 Clovis West 12-10 for its fourth consecutive section Division I boys championship on Saturday.
Earlier on Saturday, No. 2 Clovis outlasted No. 1 Clovis West 13-8 for a three-peat in girls Division I.
“The last few years, this group was probably the most coachable group I’ve ever had,” Clovis coach Noah Minton said. “We lost strong and talented seniors last year and they just worked hard and just really focused.”
Cougars senior Izzy Knittle described the third straight title as an “amazing feeling” and “we worked so hard every single day and it really paid off.”
Same can be said for the Buchanan boys team. All season, it was all about legacy.
Bears co-head coach Nic Maes received text and phone calls from former players on keeping the winning legacy going.
He stressed that to the team along with co-head coach Dave Pickford.
Message received.
“They said, ‘Get after it and make sure they’re ready to go,’” Maes said. “Some alumni came to practices this week and just talked to the guys and they know what’s on the line. Legacy is a big thing.”
Buchanan led 10-3 in the third period before Clovis West responded with three straight goals. The Bears didn’t look back after that.
Bears senior Caleb Teraoka and his teammates understood the importance of keeping the title tradition going.
“Our motto was ‘defend the legacy’ and we defended it all right,” Teraoka said. “It’s a team thing, and we had three-peat going on for a while and we just wanted to get another four-peat. That’s our legacy.”
Other section champions
Boys — No. 1 El Diamante held off No. 3 Atascadero 9-4 in Division II and No. 2 Tulare Western won 16-11 over No. 1 Mt. Whitney in Division III..
Girls — No. 2 San Joaquin Memorial knocked off No. 1 Hanford West 9-8 in Division III and No. 1 Garces defeated No. 2 Monache 15-8 in Division II.
This story was originally published November 16, 2019 at 4:30 PM.
