The Columbus St. Charles Preparatory School water polo team repeated as Division I state champions, defeating Upper Arlington 17-8 in the final on Oct. 25 at Cincinnati Sycamore High School.
The Cardinals pulled out to an early advantage and led the rest of the way to secure the program’s ninth state championship.
St. Charles advanced to the final with an 11-9 victory over Thomas Worthington. Upper Arlington defeated Cincinnati St. Xavier in the other semifinal.
Senior Pierce Bateman, who scored six goals for St. Charles in the semifinal, teamed up with senior Austin Carpenter to lead the Cardinals in scoring in the final with four goals each. Junior Caleb Moore and senior Gabe Nixon contributed two goals each. Junior Dylan Rohyans, senior Alex Wu and junior Brendan Williams added one goal each for St. Charles, which lost to Upper Arlington in last year’s state final.
Bateman was selected as the Ohio Player of the Year and first-team All-Ohio. Nixon was named second-team all-state, Carpenter made third-team all-state and Williams was honorable mention.
Related to: Watterson, Newark Catholic win state championships – Catholic Times: Read Catholic News & Stories