Boys water polo: Cowboys play against Douglas Eagles

BY ETHAN MUNCAN

On Tuesday April 3, the CCHS Cowboys hosted the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagles.

At halftime, the Cowboys held their senior night. The Cowboys only had one senior, Collin Pappas, who was walked out by his parents and was handed an award shortly before his last home game of the season. Pappas is a four-year starter and is one of the top scorers on the team.

In the first quarter of the game, the Cowboys took the lead fast with goals from Luke Tanner and Pappas. The Cowboys had a strong offensive and defensive game early on, and had many saves to keep a clean sheet in the beginning of the first quarter. Towards the end of the quarter, the Cowboys managed to score three more times but let up two goals. The Eagles sparked a late comeback in the first quarter and continued to play an offensive game in the second quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, the Cowboys were able to strike back and score three goals. The Eagles were crushed and began to play sloppily. The Cowboys quickly capitalized on their mistakes and Nick Gonzalez scored an amazing goal to increase the Cowboys’ lead. They were now leading 8-2 before halftime.

“It was a memorable game because I was able to score on senior night and lead my team to this victory,” Pappas said. “We continue to prepare for playoffs and play hard every game.”

At the start of the second half, the Eagles scored two goals and managed to cut the lead by four goals. The Cowboys responded quickly, scoring five more times over the course of the third quarter, with goals from Tanner, Pappas and Gonzalez. Douglas scored three more goals before the quarter ended, but were still trailing.

The Cowboys finished the Eagles in the last quarter with four more goals. The Eagles were able to score but the game was already shut out. The Cowboys won 17-11 in this high-scoring shootout. The Cowboys’ next game is Wednesday, April 11, against Northeast High School. The Cowboys look to take on districts and advance past regionals this year.

Final Score: Cooper City 17, Stoneman Douglas 11

Photo courtesy of Kevin Huynh