Huntington Beach – Cal High’s Boys’ water polo made history by being the first to make it to state championships ever.  

After a tense match against Brentwood Prep last Friday, Cal High won the CIF title and the chance to move on to state. The first match was against Cleveland at Segerstorm HS on Friday. Cal scored a tremendous win of 16-5 against Cleveland, a victory that showed Cal had spirit. “We had a very good game, we won pretty easily but it didn’t start out that way,” said senior goalkeeper Adan de la Loza (12). “But in the second half we started putting in more shots and that’s how we won.” JD Gonzales (11) said “they weren’t a hard team to beat.”

After the win against Cleveland, Cal moved on to play Granada Hills in the state semifinals on Saturday. “It was a much closer game,” de la Loza said, adding that the team was “very rough… a very physical team”. “They were stronger than Cleveland,” Gonzales added. de la Loza made 12 saves in the game, and the Condors would end the final quarter with a score of 10-5. With the victory, Cal was set to compete in the state finals. 

The final was on Saturday against Palisades HS. Gonzales said, “They were a lot better than us. A lot.” “They were a really good team,” de la Loza commented. “They didn’t take us lightly.” Palisades would beat Cal 12-5, but the boys didn’t let their spirits down. “Most of us held our heads high. We’ve accomplished so much,” said de la Loza. With a record of 28 wins out of 34 games, the Condors have much to be proud of.

Next season, be prepared to watch boys’ water polo go all the way to the top!