Eagle girls go back-to-back, win 5A state water polo title

Coach Kellie Dunn’s Eagles beat West Albany, 13-10, on Nov. 11 at Osborn Aquatic Center in Corvallis for the title. HRV won its semifinal game a day earlier, 14-8, over Summit High of Bend. It was the Eagles’ second successive state crown and fifth since the program was started in 2014. Dunn has been at the helm each of those seasons.

“She is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met,” said Michelle Graves, one of three seniors along with Esme Price and Avery Walker on this year’s team. “She was supportive emotionally and mentally out of the water, but she also pushed us and knew our potential in the water.”

Price said watching her teammates progress the past few years has been rewarding. “Water polo has a special place in my heart for sure,” she said. “I’ve been on a couple of different teams for a couple of different sports and there’s nothing like Hood River water polo.”

Graves said a season of hard work paid off for HRV. “We’ve done so much fitness stuff; a lot of team bonding,” she explained. “To get though it … and still play water polo like we know how to play … was just the best thing ever.”

Water polo, HRV style, is based on preparation and a stout defense – among other things. It helps to have two-time all-state player, Price, in goal.

“She played an absolutely incredible tournament,” Dunn said of Price, HRV’s senior co-captain. Price had seven saves in the semifinal and 10 in the championship; she also added a steal in each contest.

HRV’s defensive strategy was to stop the leading scorers on Summit and West Albany and let the more mediocre shooters take their shots, Dunn said. State tourney most valuable player Sophie Cross, a junior, said mental preparation for the semifinal game was key to getting the win – especially when HRV fell behind it the first quarter to Summit, before tying the game, 5-5, by halftime.

The semifinal goals came from Cross (5), Kylin Elliott (3), Tess Marsden (3), Walker (2), and Graves. Mackenzie Thurner and Cross had three assists apiece; Cross, Elliott, and Graves each had four steals; and Marsden (3), Graves (2), and Cross (2) led the team in kickouts drawn.

Cross said: “We started down a little bit. So, it was exciting, a little stressful, for sure, there for a second, but it was really good seeing our team work together and pull through.

“They’re (the Storm are) always pretty physical. They grab a lot, they kick a little, which isn’t my favorite, but we knew going into (that) game we would have to tough it out. Just being mentally prepared for that was really good for us.”

HRV outscored Summit, 9-5, in the second half to advance to the final opposite West Albany. The Bulldogs won their semifinal, 16-6, over Ashland (the 2021 state champion).

Dunn said, despite the three-goal final spread, she knew early against West Albany that the Eagles would prevail. “I knew about halfway through the first quarter that we were going to win that one. I knew it would be close. But watching our matchups a few minutes into the game, I could see that we were the stronger team and (we) really controlled the pace of that game.”

The Eagles had a similar strategy defensively in the final as they did against Summit, allowing the less-skilled players to take shots while bottling up the Bulldogs’ leading scorers.

Dunn said: “Our best defenders could easily handle their best offensive players, so it was just a matter of keeping our heads in it and battling through what would still be a close game. They played with such intensity and grit throughout and stayed on top. Our defense was absolutely what won that game. I’ve talked all season about how all we need to do is focus on defense, and the rest will fall into place.”

Graves said: “It was definitely harder in the final because we played a team that we’d never played before. And, so, we didn’t really know what to expect. But when we got our defense lined up and took some shots and got warmed up, then we knew (by the) second quarter we had it.”

The championship game statistics included: goals, Marsden (5), Cross (3), Walker (2), Elliott (2), and Nyxey Heredia Merida (1); assists: Marsden (4), Cross (2), Elliott (1), Walker (1), Graves (1), Price (1), and Heredia Merida (1); steals: Graves (5), Elliott (3), Cross (3), Heredia Merida (2), Price (1), and Walker (1); and kickouts drawn, Cross (3), Marsden (2), and Heredia Merida (1).

Dunn said losing just three seniors from the 2022 championship team helped the transition into this season. “Last year we only lost three seniors, so this year the team had a pretty similar feel overall,” the coach said. “It felt kind of like a continuation of what we started last year. I would say we had some new leaders step up and this team was really so determined and confident going into it, that they absolutely believed they could do it every step of the way.”

State tourney memories also included Walker’s four lob-shot goals – two in each game – some backhand goals, and Tess Marsden’s steady, overall play. “Total dominance,” is how Dunn described Marsden’s performance. “Neither team was able to handle her.”

“We only have three seniors again this year, which is great, because when you don’t lose a lot of seniors you feel like you can kind of maintain the same flow into the next season with small changes,” the coach said. “The first year of the program (2014) we didn’t win a single game and we were lucky to score a goal in any given game.

“(The championships) are all different and unique in their own way, but they all feel so good.”