Emotional win hands Wekiva 2025 Tidal Wave Cup

By Marshall Tempest 

Reporter 

The Wekiva boys and girls water polo teams defeated the Apopka boys and girls water polo teams to take home the Tidal Wave Cup for the 2025 season. The Tidal Wave Cup also served as a night of memory for the late coach Markeith Williams, who started the Tidal Wave Cup and died Tuesday, March 29, after a 15-month battle following a stroke.

“This win means everything,” girls head coach Caitlyn Bennet said after the win. “This is a huge encouragement for all of us, our players, and their families. It’s something we’ve wanted for a long time, and now we finally get to bring that trophy back home.” 

Girls 

Bennet said the win was the first time Wekiva had beaten Apopka since she took over the program after Williams’ accident.  

“We really wanted to win for Markeith,” Bennet said. “His family was here today, so it means everything to us. A lot of my girls are seniors, and they’ve played better than I’ve ever seen today.” 

The Mustangs took home the win in spectacular fashion, scoring a Hail Mary goal in the final two seconds of the game. The game was back-and-forth throughout, with Apopka and Wekiva taking turns outscoring each other.  

“I mean, my heart rate is always up at games, but playing against Apopka and being tied like that, I was just hoping that we could go into overtime,” Bennet said. “We had our main scorer, Ali Thomas, take up a different position in the back, and she scored a fantastic goal. So – I guess it worked.”  

Apopka and Wekiva both scored three goals apiece in the first period. Wekiva outscored Apopka 3-1 in the second period, leading 6-4 heading into the third. The Blue Darters bounced back in the third, outscoring the Mustangs 4-2, tying the game up at 8-8 going into the final period. The Mustangs outscored Apopka 3-2 in the fourth period to win 11-10.  

Leading the Mustangs in the win was Ali Thomas and Della Lucas. Thomas scored five of the team’s 11 goals with a 35.7 shooting percentage. Lucas scored four of the team’s goals with a 66.7 shooting percentage while collecting one steal.  

Wekiva’s goalkeeper, Ema Thomas, had a fantastic night in the cage. Ema collected 11 saves and allowed 10 goals on 21 shots on goal for a 52.3 save percentage.  

The girls prepared for the district tournament after winning the 2025 Tidal Wave Cup. There are just three schools in Wekiva’s district: Winter Park, Bishop Moore and Wekiva. Wekiva is entering the tournament with a 9-12 record while being ranked 35th in the state and 77th in the nation. Winter Park is 19-3 and ranked third in the state and third nationally heading into the district tournament. Bishop Moore is 11-3, ranked 19th in the state and 37th in the nation.  

Winter Park is the first seed and faced off against Edgewater in the first round, defeating them 18-2. Bishop Moore and Wekiva also faced off in the first round of the tournament. In Wekiva’s matchup with Bishop Moore earlier this season, the Mustangs fell 18-10.  

The winner of Wekiva and Bishop Moore will face Winter Park in the district championship. The district champion will secure an automatic bid into the state championship tournament.  

The district tournament started Tuesday, April 8, at Bishop Moore. The Mustangs fell to the Bishop Moore Hornets, but neither team reported the game’s score.

Boys 

The boys started way behind in their game against the Blue Darters, getting outscored 4-1 in the first period. Luckily, they bounced back efficiently, outscoring Apopka 5-4 in the second period. After that, Wekiva didn’t let off the gas, outscoring Apopka 5-3 in the third and 3-2 in the fourth to take home the win 14-13. It was a huge comeback win for the Mustangs. 

Holden Pedrick and Cameron Parry led the Mustangs to the win. Pedrick scored seven of the team’s 14 goals with a 46.7 shooting percentage while collecting an assist and three steals. Parry scored five goals with a 71.4 shooting percentage and collected an assist.  

Stalls and ball security were the driving factors in Wekiva’s win. The team collected 17 steals while only giving away six turnovers to Apopka.  

Wekiva’s goalkeeper, Hayden Scalise, did well in the goal, allowing 13 goals and saving eight of 21 shots on goal. Scalise had a 38.0 save percentage.  

After winning the Tidal Wave Cup, the boys turn their attention to the district tournament. Like the girls, the boys only have three schools in their district: Winter Park, Bishop Moore and Wekiva. Winter Park leads the district, followed by Bishop Moore, then Wekiva at third.  

Wekiva is heading into the tournament with an 11-9 record, ranking 32nd in the state and 69th in the nation. Winter Park is coming into the tournament with a 14-9 record, ranking 13th in the state and 27th in the country. Bishop Moore is coming into the tournament with a 9-4 record, ranking 30th in the state and 63rd in the nation. 

Wekiva will face Bishop Moore in the first round, while Winter Park enjoys a bye. Earlier this year, the boys faced Bishop Moore and lost 19-14. If the boys defeat Bishop Moore, they will face Winter Park in the district championship for a chance at a state championship tournament bid.  

The district tournament started Tuesday, April 8, at Bishop Moore. The Mustangs defeated Bishop Moore in a nail-biting 19-18 victory. The boys were then set to face off against the No. 13 ranked Winter Park Wildcats on Wednesday in the district championship for a chance at an automatic bid into the state tournament.

Unfortunately for the Mustangs, they fell to the Winter Park Wildcats 22-7 in the district championship on Wednesday.