On November 10, 2018, the Newberg High School boys water polo team won the Oregon 6A state championship for the FIFTH consecutive year. Very few high schoolers can say they played in a state championship game. Even fewer can say they WON a state championship. What high schooler gets to say they won the state championship EVERY SINGLE YEAR they were in high school? My boy and his buddies. That's who.
End of the season banquet
Last year's state championship game vs. Lakeridge was intense and hard fought. Read the details here. Lakeridge's league MVP graduated, but they returned a big chunk of their starting lineup. Newberg returned our entire starting lineup, minus one. The Fab Five - who all lettered as freshman and helped their team win an unexpected state championship - were now all seniors. They would accept nothing less than a fifth state championship. Early in 2018, they started a hashtag: #5x. It was their reminder of the season goal.
Fab Five at a photo session we did before the season started
Training for 2018 started the day after they won the state title in 2017. Almost all the water polo boys swim for the high school team in the winter, and they aren't slow. They helped lead their swim team to Newberg's first ever district championship in the winter of 2018. They also sent a ton of water polo player/swimmers on to the state meet. #attakids
Cheering on the final relay to seal the win
District Champs!
Spring is when club season ramps up. Newberg Water Polo Club's team is basically our high school team with a couple of additions that come from other towns. Our high school team battles it out against club teams stacked with the best talent from all the local Portland schools and still wins. A lot. These boys are good.
Spring session bleeds right into the summer season. All summer long, our kids trained: in the pool; dry land; sometimes twice a day. Grant had four part time jobs (three on farms and one for an event company), because they are all willing to flex around his high maintenance water polo training schedule. In July, the boys traveled to California to play in the Junior Olympics. They anticipated getting crushed by the strong, stacked California club teams, but surprised themselves and won several games. #attakids
Fab Five at the Junior Olympics (we didn't go so I copied this from Grant's Instagram feed).
High school season officially started mid-August. By the time Day One rolled around, our kids were already in incredible shape. They were strong and experienced, and it showed. They crushed every opponent they faced. No one could touch their impeccable defense and strong offense. Every single one of their starters can score. When one was double teamed, they'd get the ball to the open player who would score. Their talent goes so deep into their bench. Newberg was the team to beat this year and it would take a GOOD team to do it.
The first close game they had was against Johansen, a California team, in the championship game of our home tournament. Johansen expected to come to Oregon and win the tournament, but they couldn't keep up with our boys, so they played dirty. It was ugly to watch, but our boys kept their composure and systematically dismantled them, winning decisively 10-3. #ATTAKIDS!
Home Tournament Champs
Lakeridge was last in our league rotation. We faced them first in their shallow-deep pool. The game was all we hoped it would be. Lakeridge came out firing and scored three, quick, unanswered goals. It was the first time all season our boys had been behind in a game. Newberg adjusted their defense and started chipping away at the lead. The game was intense and highly physical. Late in the game, Grant scored from the hole to tie it up.
Lakeridge and Newberg both scored once more, sending the game into overtime. Lakeridge scored first in overtime, putting the Tigers in an unfamiliar come-from-behind scenario. But I was confident.
I spend a lot of time with these boys. This was their senior season. Defeat was not an option. With two minutes left, Zach scored back-to-back goals, leading the Tigers to an 8-7 victory. It was so exciting! Everyone in that building knew this game was a preview of what should be the state championship matchup.
Five days later, our boys took their undefeated season to a tournament in Washington hosted by Curtis High School. The Curtis boys' team had a win streak of more than100+ games going. They were big, strong, and experienced with a bunch of seniors on their roster, just like Newberg. It was the number one goal of our boys to beat Curtis in their home pool. And THEY DID IT! Snapped that Curtis win streak with a 10-8 victory in the championship game, and kept Newberg's undefeated season rolling. I got to be an official chaperone for that trip and it was a highlight of the fall for me to have my Sequoia filled with these boys that I have come to love like my own sons.
Tournament Champs at Curtis
The following weekend Newberg and Lakeridge both traveled to Modesto, California, to see how they matched up against bigger, stronger, better California teams. Curt and I always said, "When Grant is a senior, we'll go on the California trip." You better believe we got ourselves down to California to be Those People cheering in the stands for every game and sending play-by-play updates to the parents back home.
Oregon teams typically go to California expecting to lose, but with the intent to learn from playing more experienced teams. The Modesto tournament setup puts all the weight on the first game. If you win your first game, you move into the winners bracket and the worst you can get is 8th place out of 16 teams. Lose your first game? The best you can get is 9th place.
Every single team our boys faced this tournament was big, strong, and experienced. Lincoln was our first opponent and Newberg won 10-7! Our second game was a rematch against Johnansen. Johansen was out for revenge, but Newberg controlled the entire game and won 10-8. All the boys played great, and Grant scored a lot. Here's a video summary of his highlights from day one.
Their third opponent was Granite Bay, a constant California powerhouse. Granite Bay sent Lakeridge to the losers bracket in the first game to battle for 9th place. It had been years since Newberg beat Granite Bay. There was a lot riding on this game and we all could feel it. We expected an epic battle, but our boys destroyed Granite Bay 10-4. And just like that, our boys found themselves in the championship game of a California tournament!
Our opponent in the championship game was Davis. Davis' star player (who Grant was assigned to guard), plays for the USA national water polo team and is committed to a Division I college team. He was HUGE and scored a goal with three Newberg players draped all over him. But somehow after that first goal, we contained him and stayed in the contest.
Davis was up for the majority of the game, but our boys did not quit. They battled back to tie it 2-2 at the end of the first quarter. Got behind by three goals in the second. Scraped their way back to within one goal with 59 seconds left in the game.
We had possession and were setting up an offensive play, but Davis stole the ball, then went down and scored to secure the victory. Davis handed our boys their only loss of the entire season (5-7 final score) in a game that came down to the last handful of seconds. We were so proud!
The boys left California exhausted, but confident. They knew they had what it takes to beat Lakeridge and win state. Now they just had to do it.
Me with the Fab Five in Cali. I just love these boys.
Second place - Modesto Tournament
Three days later, Newberg and Lakeridge met for the final contest of the regular season in our home pool. It was senior night. It was surreal to be buying balloons and making a poster for Grant, OUR senior. I put "5x" in the bottom corner of his poster then pulled myself together to go to the game.
You know it's a big deal if I attempt a craft. Crafts are not my thing.
Our fam, minus Alli plus Britney
Grant and his sisters
our boy.
One by one, they announced each of the TEN seniors (four girls and six boys). They ran through a tunnel of their teammates to their parents and family members waiting with hugs and treats. After the fanfare, the boys got in the water and dismantled Lakeridge 11-4. It was never even close. What a way to finish out their season and secure another league championship.
our senior. #allthefeels
Our boys rolled through the district tournament, trouncing their opponents 18-2 and 20-5. Everyone on the roster got to play in both games. The following Friday was the state semi-final game against Westview. Grant scored SIX goals and helped lead his team to a 21-9 victory. Again, everyone on the roster got to play.
After the semi-final victory
Grant's cheering section for the semi-final game. SIX goals for our boy.
His sisters and the Menke's
Lakeridge had a similar trip through the district and semi-final games. No one could touch them.
A showdown was on.
Saturday night, November 10th, at 7:00 p.m. both teams stood on the pool deck at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center and faced a packed house. It was standing room only and it was LOUD.
Fab Five have cap numbers 1-5.
for the state title game, they announce every player before the game starts.
TIGERS!
wall to wall fans.
Both teams came ready to play. Lakeridge scored first and the game quickly became a defensive battle. The teams traded goals and came into half time tied 3-3.
Newberg's defense shut out Lakeridge's offense for the second half of the game.
At the end of the third quarter, the score was 4-3. Newberg had the advantage but Raleigh, one of our senior starters, was out on ejections. Oz, one of our three juniors in the starting rotation, had to step up and fill the void. He excelled.
Grant - after his stellar performance in the state semi-final game - was double and tripled teamed the entire game. The Newberg boys trust their teammates and they exploited this game strategy, dumping the ball to their open teammates. Nathan and Alex - the other juniors in the starting rotation - made Lakeridge pay. Together, they combined for five of Newberg's six goals! Back to back goals in the fourth quarter by Nathan and Alex put the exclamation mark on the victory, but Newberg's defense had to finish it out. Lakeridge fought to the very last second in a game that was billed by the media as "one of the best state championships Oregon has ever seen." Final score: 6-3.
Grant and Dane
Acknowledging their fans and holding up five fingers for FIVE TIMES
Celebratory jump in the pool with the coaches
Fab Five with their trophy
Each member of the Fab Five earned all league and all state honors, and Wilson won MVP of the state for his incredible performance in the goal. Grant took home first team all league and first team all state honors. We are SO proud!
First Team All League. First Team All State. Atta kid!
Our family on this incredible night.
Dad and Marcy came from Bend to watch G play.
It was a fairy tale ending to one incredible high school career. I stood on the pool deck, bawling, with my phone in one hand videoing the celebration, and my camera in the other snapping photos.
I never doubted for a second that our boys would win. This was their senior season. They wanted 5x bragging rights and they got them. They also earned a 34-1 season. Nearly perfect.
In Grant's lifetime, I have watched hundreds of water polo games. And yet, I would watch hundreds more. I have loved every second of watching my boy and his best buds morph from little boys into grown men. Throughout the journey, their character has developed too. These are good boys. Do they make mistakes? Sure. But they are kind, inclusive, hard working, athletic, and oh so fun. I have loved being a Super Fan.
Little baby water polo player Grant
Senior water polo player Grant and state champion
Celebrating the victory at Abby's. Love my boy.
Well done boys. You know we parents are proud of you, but it's not just us. On December 3rd, the boys were invited to a Newberg City Council meeting. The mayor and council members honored them for their successes and declared, "the citizens of Newberg are proud of you."
December 3rd - honored by the city
It's the end of the era for the Fab Five. Wilson will head off to the Marines and Raleigh off on his mission for his church. Dane, Zach and Grant are in the thick of college applications, but none of them are convinced they want to play college water polo. How could you replicate the brotherhood these boys have formed? It will be interesting to see where they end up and if water polo continues to be an active part of their story.
Pre-season photo session
End of season banquet holding five state champion trophies
Wilson - #1
Raleigh - #2
Grant - #3
Dane - #4
Zach - #5
Years from now, we will all still talk about the Fab Five and their epic journey from unexpected freshmen champions to dominating senior stars.
