Water polo: Olympia sweeps district championships

ORLANDO It was a Titan triumph at the FHSAA District 3 Water Polo Championships Wednesday evening, as both the Olympia boys and girls teams won their respective district finals.

Both victories came at the expense of rival Dr. Phillips, with the Titans girls team topping the Panthers 13-7 in the early match and the Olympia boys pulling out a 12-9 win the second match.

"It's the first time in school history — which is really exciting," said Stephanie Johnson-Possell, the head coach for both teams at Olympia. "I think it's kind of unique for any program, anywhere to have that happen. So we're proud of it."

For the boys, in particular, Wednesday night's win was a big deal. Where the Titans girls team had advanced all the way to the state tournament last season, Olympia's boys had never won a district championship and had also lost to Dr. Phillips earlier in the season (10-6, March 8).

"This is a big one for the boys — the boys had not beaten Dr. Phillips in a long time," Johnson-Possell said.

The Titans had led 6-5 at the end of the third quarter and outscored the Panthers 6-4 in a furious final quarter.

Olympia's girls, meanwhile, capitalize on a key stretch late in the second quarter and on into the third quarter that created some distance the Titans never relinquished. Leading 5-3 after a goal by Dr. Phillips, Olympia went on a three-goal swing that decidedly changed the momentum of the match.

"We had a couple clutch goals there by some of our seniors and that really made the difference in the game," Johnson-Possell said.

Both Olympia water polo teams will play Winter Park on Saturday, April 9, with a trip to the state tournament on the line. Per OlympiaHighSchoolAthletics.com, the matches will take place at the YMCA Aquatic Center on International Drive, with the girls playing at 11 a.m. and the boys playing at 12:15 p.m.

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].