Water polo blows Flanagan out of the water

BY KYLEIGH SPRIGLE

On Monday, February 25, the Cooper City Cowboys played against Flanagan High School. This home game was a district match, one that the Cowboys ending up winning with a final score of  17-8.

CCHS participated in the Miami Country Day tournament. It was over the weekend, which helped prepare them for their match on Monday. With around 30 players, the Cowboys had to split into two teams. That gave everyone a chance to play and gain experience.

“The tournament helped us win against Flanagan,” sophomore Bryce Pritchett said. “It increased our stamina and showed us some extremely hard competition.”

The Cowboys had a large enough lead, but they still held the pressure on the Falcons. Flanagan scored three goals and Cooper City scored two. The game ended with the Cowboys winning 17-8.

Water polo is a fast-paced game. The matches only last 30 minutes, with each quarter being around seven minutes. The goal is to start off strong, keeping up strong pressure and defense.

Both teams started out with strong defense. Flanagan squeezed in two points while the Cowboys only managed to get one. The quarter ended quickly with the Falcons up 2-1.

In the second quarter, the Cowboys’ defense stayed strong. The Falcons could not keep up or score any more that quarter. The Cowboys kept pushing and scored six more points, ending with Cooper in the lead at 8-2.

“As a team, we played extremely well,” Pritchett said. “We worked hard, worked together and never lost focus on trying to win.”

The second half hit and the teams were ready to go. The Cowboys doubled their score in seven minutes and were still able to stop most of Flanagan’s advances. The score at the end of the quarter had the Cowboys leading 15-5.

“We have a huge chance to go far this season,” junior Justin Ryan said. “Our team plays like a well-oiled machine. The players are all amazing and can communicate well when in the water.”

By the last quarter, Flanagan could not catch up. The Cowboys had a large enough lead, but they still held the pressure on the Falcons. Flanagan scored three goals and Cooper City scored two. The game ended with the Cowboys winning 17-8.

“We have a huge chance to go far this season,” junior Justin Ryan said. “Our team plays like a well-oiled machine. The players are all amazing and can communicate well when in the water.”

The district match hints at what CCHS hopes to do later on in the season: win regionals and make it to states. Some players are very confident that the team will go far this season.

“We are going to win districts and regionals if the starters play well,” junior Ryley Edmunds said. “The teamwork and perseverance helped us win against Flanagan and it will help us later on in the season.”

Photo by Carly Cuoco