Bellevue powering its way to a four-peat

If the Bellevue Wolverines do indeed end up winning their fourth consecutive state water polo championship this November, they will undoubtedly look back to the 12-9 victory against the Curtis Vikings on Oct. 28 as the turning point of the 2014 season.

By Shaun Scott • November 6, 2014 4:36 pm
Bellevue Wolverines’ Zack Rossman rears back to unleash a shot earlier this season.
Bellevue Wolverines’ Zack Rossman rears back to unleash a shot earlier this season.

If the Bellevue Wolverines do indeed end up winning their fourth consecutive state water polo championship this November, they will undoubtedly look back to the 12-9 victory against the Curtis Vikings on Oct. 28 as the turning point of the 2014 season. The Wolverines were the victors, but were fuming as they exited pool. They knew their performance wasn’t up to their rigid standards of excellence.

“We weren’t focused at all and that’s a fact. Anybody on the team would agree with me in saying we weren’t disciplined and we were not ready to play before the game,” Wolverines team captain Liam Naughton said. “Afterwards we had a very long talk as a team. We sat together and said, ‘We are going to win another state title’. We knew what we had to do.”

The Wolverines responded to the challenge with a convincing 19-10 win against the Roosevelt Vikings on Oct. 29 in Seattle. Marco Stanchi and Zack Rossman scored a team-high five goals apiece. Cameron Hayes scored three goals as well. Naughton added two goals and Daniel Sandler, Noah Lauter, Sam Geffe and Garrett Williams each scored a goal.

“The game we played (against Roosevelt) really proved we can do it and hopefully we will do it,” Naughton said of a possible four-peat.

The victory against Roosevelt throughly impressed Bellevue head coach Ed Brovick.

“They got their focus back and really pulled it together. The goals we score were spread out amongst quite a few players. It was such a great team effort. It was great to see that,” Brovick said.

The Wolverines (16-5 overall) captured the KingCo 4A regular season championship for the third year in a row. Bellevue will be the No. 1 seed in the regional playoffs, which begin on Nov. 7. Eight teams will play in the regional tournament and teams placing in the top four slots will advance to the state tourney. Bellevue spent the past week focusing on the smallest of details that could make all the difference in the postseason. Bellevue assistant coach Evan Kaseguma believes the team is ascending at the perfect time. The Wolverines are loaded with talent both offensively and defensively.

“Quinlan Hughes (goalie) has continued to step up the last few weeks. It’s been a great boost for our defense. We have been working on our press defense too at practice and its really coming into form. We’re putting a lot of pressure on other teams,” Kaseguma said. “We’re a very unselfish team and that opens up a lot of opportunities on offense. We are really starting to click.”