Cy Creek’s water polo teams ended their season playoffs on a high note, with the varsity girls’ concluding as regional semifinalists and varsity boys’ finishing as regional quarterfinalists.
“I loved being able to watch the whole team come together to show off all of the hard work we’ve been putting in over the season,” junior player Violet Hunt said. “It’s great getting to be recognized for the accomplishments of the team, especially since we’ve come so far.”
Hunt plays for the girl’s team, who advanced to the regional semi-final game and played against Brazoswood High School on Friday, October 18.
The game was tense and fast-paced, and Creek concluded the season with a score of 7-16 against Brazoswood.
The boys’ team ended their season as quarter finalists on October 14 in their game against Westside High School with a score of 6-10.
“Going into water polo playoffs this season was tense, knowing our entire season and all the work we’ve put in comes down to just a few games,” Hunt said. “I feel like this brings a fire in all of the players – but luckily, we know how to turn that into fuel. We were all hyped to play to the best of our abilities and show off what we could do.”
After winning the District 16-6A championship with a 10-0 record in league play, both teams were automatically advanced to playoffs.
Under the guidance of water polo coach Jeff Chandler, they were pitted against schools like HISD’s Northside High School, Alvin ISD’s Shadow Creek High School, Westside High School, and Lamar High. No matter who they were up against, both of Creek’s teams gave it their all in each and every game.
“This is my 18th year at Creek, and I’ve been a coach for 39 in total,” Chandler said. “Every year I’m learning something new as a coach and as a person. No matter the year, the goal always stays the same: make it to state championships.”
While neither the girls’ or boys’ were able to advance to state this year, the teams are determined to continue working hard to grow and progress in mind, body, and spirit.
“Now more than anything, preparing for games has a lot to do with the player’s mental mindsets,” Chandler said. “It’s the same practice games we’ve been doing before the big ones, and we’re still going over specific drills on what the opponents may be doing to us either on offense or defense.”
Along with Chandler’s experienced coaching, players also rely on strong support systems from loved ones to encourage and uplift them. Erica Chaikin, Digital Media and Art History educator at Creek, is also a proud parent of senior water polo player Ethan Chaikin.
“I’ve been to a lot of really fun water polo games and met a lot of really great parents. I’m not going to lie, the vibe of these games are pretty intense and can get pretty crazy,” Chaikin said. “To this day I still don’t know all of the rules, but I’ve kind of learned to just embrace that fact and keep cheering everybody on and enjoy watching the game.”
Since becoming a UIL sport in 2022, water polo has gained a significant amount of interest, popularity and knowledge for both students and parents. Since then, the love for the sport has only grown within the past years.
“It’s fun to watch my kid individually, but I think partially because I’m also a teacher at Creek I have a deep interest in seeing how far everybody on the team can go. They’re all my babies, in a way,” Chaikin said. “The players have a lot of respect for Coach Chandler, and they really respond well to how he coaches. He’s super supportive of the kids, not just as players, but as students and young adults.”
Both varsity teams continue to give it their all during practices, testing out the waters and continuing to improve in cooperation as they prepare for next year.
