By Marshall Tempest
Reporter
In their annual Tidal Wave Cup, the Apopka boys and girls water polo teams suffered tough losses against cross-town rivals the Wekiva Mustangs last week.
Girls
The girls water polo team was on a good run coming into the Tidal Wave Cup, sitting at 8-11 and ranked 36th in Florida. They were 5-1 in their last six games, falling 11-1 to No. 15 Olympia and beating Colonial 13-6, No. 39 Lyman 6-4, No. 30 Gainesville 4-3, No. 38 Wekiva 9-8 OT and No. 41 Venice 13-9.
The game started rough for Apopka, as Wekiva quickly got out in front 3-1 only halfway through the first period. The Blue Darters did well to keep to their game plan of ball movement and spreading out wide to create gaps in the Wekiva defense, which led to them tying the game up at 3-3 near the end of the first period.
Going into the second period, the Darters and the Mustangs were tied 3-3. This was when the Mustangs pulled away from the Blue Darters. Apopka scored one goal to Wekiva’s three in the second period, giving the Mustangs the lead 6-4 at halftime.
The Blue Darters bounced back in the third period, outscoring the Mustangs 4-2, tying the game back up at 8-8. For this matchup, it came down to the final period, as it has all year.
Apopka was ahead 10-9 with just three minutes left on the clock in the fourth period as they focused on possession, defense, and smart shots. The Blue Darters couldn’t get anything past the Mustangs’ stalwart defense.
The Mustangs were able to tie up the game at 10-10 with just 1:05 left in the fourth period. It was back and forth as each team battled for possession and a good shot. It came down to the last shot for the Mustangs on a Hail Mary shot. With just two seconds left, Wekiva scored the game-winning goal to take home the Tidal Wave Cup.
Apopka’s Alexis McReynolds, Brooke Bemiss and Lily Whitworth led the team in the loss. McReynolds scored four of the team’s 10 goals with a 66.7 shot percentage while also collecting two assists and three steals. Bemiss scored three goals and had a 33.0 shot percentage. Whitworth scored on goal with a perfect shooting percentage and collected two assists.
Apopka’s goalie, Katherine Berens, had a great night in the cage with six saves and 11 goals allowed. The Wekiva players took 30 shots, with 17 being on target. Of those 17 on-target shots, Berens only allowed 11 for a 35.29 save percentage.
After the Tidal Wave Cup, Apopka prepares for the District 1 Tournament. With just three schools in District 1 (Apopka, Gainesville, and Lake Minneola), the tournament will have no more than two rounds. Gainesville leads the district and will have a first-round bye. Apopka is seed two and will face Lake Minneola in the first round.
If Apopka defeats Lake Minneola, they will face Gainesville in the championship round of the district tournament. But when the Blue Darters faced Lake Minneola earlier this season, they fell 11-8, so Apopka will need to change its game plan this time around.
The Blue Darters have already faced No. 28 Gainesville twice this season and have split the matchups. They lost in their first meeting 8-4 but then defeated them 4-3 in their next matchup. If Apopka defeats Gainesville, they will get an automatic bid into the state championship tournament. If they do not win, it will come down to MaxPreps power rankings and records to determine who will fill out the other spot in the state championship tournament.
The district tournament started on Tuesday, April 8, with Apopka hosting Lake Minneola. The girls defeated the Lake Minneola Hawks 11-7, outscoring the Hawks in every period except the fourth. McReynolds led the team in the win, scoring one goal and four of the team’s 10 assists. Apopka’s Berens had another fantastic night in the cage, making 16 saves on 23 shots on goal for a 69.5 save percentage.
With the win, the girls advanced to the championship round of the district tournament, where they faced Gainesville on Thursday after press time.
Boys
The boys’ water polo team was on a bad run coming into this game, sitting at 8-12 and ranked 41st in the state. They were 2-4 in their last six games, defeating Colonial 19-5 and Olympia 21-20 while falling to Lyman 17-9, Gainesville 12-9, Wekiva 14-9 and Venice 11-10.
Apopka jumped out ahead in the first period, outscoring Wekiva 4-1. But in the second period, the game turned into the shootout we knew it would be. The Mustangs outscored the Blue Darters 5-4, trailing 8-6 at halftime.
In the second half, the Mustangs showed up, outscoring Apopka 5-3 in the third period to tie the game at 11-11. Apopka opened up the fourth period with a goal to take the lead back 12-11. Wekiva answered shortly after with a goal of their own to tie the game back up at 12-12 with 6:30 left. Apopka immediately responded with another goal and took the lead 13-12 with 6:20 left in the game.
Wekiva tied the game with 4:10 left and scored the winning goal with 2:33 left. The Mustangs were up 14-13, but Apopka had a chance to tie it back up. The Blue Darters could not make it happen, and they fell to the Mustangs in the Tidal Wave Cup.
Apopka’s Steven Novak, Harry Pennell and Andrew Kurz led the team in the loss. Novak scored three goals with a 33.3 shooting percentage while bringing in four assists. Pennell scored seven of the team’s 13 goals with a 77.8 shooting percentage. Kurz scored one goal with a 33.3 shooting percentage while also bringing in three assists and one steal.
Apopka’s goalkeeper, Travis Novak, had a fantastic night in the cage. Travis saved 14 shots and allowed 19 for a 42.4 save percentage for shots on goal.
The team prepared for the district tournament after losing to the Mustangs in their final regular-season game. Like the girls, the boys’ water polo team has only three schools in its district: Lake Minneola, Gainesville, and Apopka. Gainesville leads the district, so they will have a first-round bye, while Apopka will face off against Lake Minneola.
The Blue Darters faced Lake Minneola earlier in the season, dominating them in a 19-9 win. Suppose Apopka defeats Lake Minneola in the first round. In that case, they will face No. 25 ranked Gainesville in the district championship for a chance at a state championship tournament bid. Apopka has faced Gainesville twice this season and has fallen both times (15-9 and 12-9).
The district tournament started on Tuesday, April 8, with Apopka hosting Lake Minneola. Like the girls, the boys defeated the Hawks in the first round. The Blue Darters dominated in a 22-15 victory. The boys also outscored the Hawks in every period except the fourth.
Pennel was a sniper in the pool, leading the team to the win with 10 of the team’s 22 goals, finishing with a 90.9 shooting percentage. Travis Novak did well in the cage, making ten saves on 25 shots on goal for a 40.0 save percentage.
Like the girls, with the win over Lake Minneola, the boys advanced to the championship round of the district tournament, where they faced Gainesville on Thursday after press time.
