From freshmen dream to senior reality: Merced boys eye section water polo banner.
When seniors Eli Hamm and Reid McCall joined the Merced High boys water polo team as freshmen three years ago, their ultimate goal was to win a section championship. Now seniors, Hamm and McCall will get that opportunity. The top-seeded Bears defeated No. 5 El Capitan 20-4 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinals on Wednesday night to extend their winning streak to 24 consecutive victories and punch their ticket into the section championship game on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Roseville Aquatic Center.
“When Reid and I came in as freshman, our goal was to go get a section championship and now we’re one win away,” said Hamm, who scored six goals against the Gauchos and recorded four steals. Merced (29-2) will face No. 3 Ripon (20-12) in the championship game. A Bears win would give the program its first section championship since 1994.
“We’re very aware of how long it’s been on the boys side,” said Merced first-year coach Eric Larson. “We really want to prove that this is an all-time great team and if you don’t win the top game it doesn’t matter.”
The Bears have been dominant from start-to-finish this season, outscoring opponents 529 to 150 this season. To put those totals into perspective, the Bears are winning their games by an average score of 17 to 5. They outscored Central California Conference teams 174 to 20 on their way to a perfect 10-0 run to a conference title.
How have they managed to maintain their focus and remain dominant all season? “They all bought into teamwork,” Larson said. “This team is a team, it’s not individuals. If you look at who scored the goals it’s dispersed to everybody. It’s not any individual who is carrying us.”
The Bears hit the Gauchos (20-10) with a flurry of goals early as Merced jumped out to a 7-1 lead after the first quarter. Hamm scored three goals in the opening quarter and Reid McCall and Cord McCall both added two goals each. The Bears extend their lead to 10 to 1 at the half as Kade Slocum, William Hunter Gossett and Maddox McAuley all scored goals.
Reid McCall says it hasn’t been tough to maintain their focus during a season of routs because the Bears have always had their sights set on the big prize, which is bringing home a section banner. “Our goal is to win sections,” he said. “These teams were all another obstacle in the way and we had to go through them.”
Gossett finished with four goals and Cord McCall dished out eight assists. Merced goalie Eli Morison added eight saves to go along with two steals.The Bears will face a Ripon team that they have already defeated twice this season by scores of 19-6 and 16-4.
Hamm hopes he and his team can finally accomplish the goal he set out with his friend when they were freshmen and capture the Bears’ first section title in 31 years. “I really want to come home with a blue banner,” he said. “That’s all that matters. Obviously, I’d like to play well, but all that matters is the team winning.”
Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.