St. Xavier, Sycamore take silver, bronze at state water polo tourney

The Ohio state water polo tournament saw St. Xavier and Sycamore High School's boys teams take silver and bronze respectively. The matches took place at Sycamore High School on October 31. Both teams faced each other in the state semifinals, with St. Xavier emerging victorious in a 19-14 win.

St. Xavier's defense was effective in shutting down Sycamore's star player, Ciaran Skinner, who was double-teamed. The Bombers' offense was balanced, with six players scoring goals. The team faced Upper Arlington in the state finals, but lost 11-6. Senior Spencer Meier had an impressive performance, allowing zero goals defensively and scoring once.

St. Xavier had reached the state semifinals three times in a row, but it was their first appearance in the finals since 2016. The Bombers finished the season with a 22-16-1 record, securing a third-place finish at the Ohio Cup and a top-eight placement at Philadelphia's Beast of the East Tournament.

Sycamore, the No. 7 seed, began the tournament with a strong win in the quarterfinals, defeating defending champions St. Charles 9-6. Senior Colin McAllister played all games, while David Parker was instrumental in denying St. Charles' 2-meter player. Following their loss to St. Xavier, Sycamore faced Thomas Worthington, a physical matchup they ultimately won 16-12. Sycamore senior Ciaran Skinner also made history in the tournament, setting a new single-season goal record with 163 goals.