From survival to success: The Wolves journey to back-to-back WAC titles
For the second consecutive season the Livingston High boys water polo finished as the Western Athletic Conference champions. The Wolves also went a perfect 14-0 for the second straight year in WAC play to extend their conference winning streak to 29 consecutive victories.
Livingston (20-7 overall) clinched the title with an 11-10 victory at Beyer last week. It was the Wolves’ second one-goal victory over the Patriots this season.
“It means the world to these boys to add another year up on our banner,” said Livingston coach Jose Alvarez. “It's not an easy feat taking first in any league and I couldn't be more proud of their hard work and perseverance. Walking into our gym and seeing years tracing back decades is very meaningful because it shows that the legacy athletes leave behind lives long after you have graduated and left. Being able to contribute to this part of history through adding two consecutive years on our water polo banner is a privilege and a blessing.”
The game against the Patriots was close throughout as Aydan Ramirez led with four goals and an assist. Kelvyn Edwards added three goals and three assists and Axel Cardenas Martinez chipped in with two goals and two assists. Livingston Giovanni Calderon played big in the cage, finishing with 14 saves.
“Coming into this second game we prioritized making better passes, getting the ball down into the 2-meter early on and holding a press throughout each defensive rotation,” Alvarez said. “This game was back and forth for a good while, each of us took advantage of each other's mistakes and it ultimately came down to who made the smarter choices towards the end.”
The Wolves made some adjustments that paid off on the defensive end in the fourth quarter as Livingston was able to close out the victory. Alvarez says this has been a special group to coach and they are deserving of being back-to-back WAC champions. He says these two championships have been four years in the making.
The last four years have truly been a full circle moment for me as a coach,” Alvarez said. “I started off with a fresh team, we lost every game we played and for many players it was more survival than anything. With time they learned much more about the game rules, plays and positioning, which led to a much more productive and successful season the following year. The tenacity these boys showed throughout those early years was unmatched, it was a driving factor to our success later on. I can't thank them enough for everything they've done for this program and their teammates.”
The Wolves closed out the WAC season with a 24-8 rout of Lathrop. Edwards poured in seven goals and Ramirez scored four goals to go with 10 assists. Next up for LIvingston will be the section playoffs which begin next week.
Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.