SANFORD — The girls defeated Lake Mary 17-6 to win their fourth consecutive regional title, while the boys topped Oviedo (18-5) 12-5 for their third straight regional championship in the Class 1A-Region 1 Championship Games Thursday evening at the Larry A. Dale Aquatic Center on the Seminole High School campus.
In doing so, Seminole became the first program in FHSAA history to have both water polo teams advance to the state Final Four three years in a row.
Coach Ryan Ackerson stood poolside after the sweep, but admitted the accomplishment had not fully sunk in.
“It felt good,” Ackerson said. “But I think it hasn’t sunk in, really, I’ll probably think about it once the season is over. “Right now we’re thinking about next week, but it’s cool for sure.”
For the second game in a row, senior Darian West played a key role in the boys’ victory, scoring the first two goals, and the Fighting Seminoles never looked back.
“He kind of dominated them physically. They didn’t have an answer for him,” Ackerson said. “There were some things we worked on in practice, and he bought into it. Without the presence in the middle, we could get a lot of things going.”
Also contributing for Nole's were Ethan Pierson with one assist, three steals and 13 saves, Adam Walker with two assists and two steals, Becton Suber with two assists and one steal, Brayden Tarkowski and Timmy Samples with one assist and one steal each and West with two steals.
With the win, the boys, who are ranked No. 3 in the country by MaxPreps, improved to 26-4 on the season.
The girls, the top-ranked team in the country according to MaxPreps, improved to 29-0 on the year, while the Rams, ranked No. 9 in the country, finish the season at 23-7. As they have much of the season, the Seminoles relied on a total team effort, with several players contributing to the victory.
“I felt like everyone was involved tonight in the (Girls) game. Ackerson said.
For the Seminole girls, Julia Pando recorded seven saves and three assists, Vivian Swain had six assists, Gabby Pierson added three assists and two steals, Raelynn Bouley finished with two assists and four steals and Halle Zimlich had two steals.
The FHSAA State Championships will be hosted by Belen Jesuit Preparatory School this Friday and Saturday (April 24 and 25) at the Gian Zumpano Aquatic Center in Miami.
Admission is $13 per day with advance purchase via GoFan, and $16 the day of the event. Parking is included in the ticket price.
Here are the Region 1 results and the State Schedule:
CLASS 1A-REGION 1
at Larry A. Dale Aquatic Center, Sanford
BOYS
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, April 14
Game 1 _ (1) Seminole 17, (8) Bishop Moore 5.
Game 2 _ (4) Winter Park 14, (5) Lake Mary 5.
Game 3 _ (3) Gainesville 17, (6) Lake Minneola 14.
Game 4 _ (2) Oviedo 22, (7) Wekiva 12.
Semifinals
Wednesday, April 15
Game 5 _ (1) Seminole 14, (4) Winter Park 8.
Game 6 _ (2) Oviedo 15, (3) Gainesville 7.
Championship
Thursday, April 16
Game 7 _ (1) Seminole (25-4) 12, (2) Oviedo (18-5), 5.
GIRLS
Quarterfinals
Monday, April 13
Game 1 _ (1) Seminole 21, (8) Lake Howell 1.
Game 2 _ (4) Winter Park 12, (5) Lake Minneola 5.
Game 3 _ (3) Lake Brantley 10, (6) Gainesville 8.
Game 4 _ (2) Lake Mary 15, (7) Edgewater 3.
Semifinals
Wednesday, April 15
Game 5 _ (1) Seminole 19, (4) Winter Park 1.
Game 6 _ (2) Lake Mary 15, (3) Lake Brantley 3.
Championship
Thursday, April 16
Game 7 _ (1) Seminole (29-0) 17, (2) Lake Mary (23-7) 6.
FHSAA STATE WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Gian Zumpano Aquatic Center, Miami
BOYS
Semifinals
Friday, April 24
Game 1 _ (3) Seminole vs. (2) St. Thomas Aquinas, 5 p.m.
Game 2 _ (4) Westminster Academy vs. (1) Ransom Everglades, 8 p.m.
Final
Saturday, April 25
Game 3 _ Championship: Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.
GIRLS
Semifinals
Friday, April 24
Game 1 _ (1) Seminole vs. (4) St. Thomas Aquinas, 3:30 p.m.
Game 2 _ (2) West Orange vs. (3) Gulliver Prep, 6:30 p.m.
Final
Saturday, April 25
Game 3 _ Championship: Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.
