Buchanan, Clovis capture water polo state titles

The Clovis High Girls Water Polo team defeated Soquel to win the 2019 CIF NorCal Girls Division II Water Polo Championships on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (Clovis High School)

Another water polo season has come to an end, and this time Clovis can boast two state champions.

The No. 1-seed Buchanan boys defeated Jesuit 10-9 and the No. 2 Clovis girls bear No. 1 Soquel 10-6 to capture the CIF Northern California regional titles on Saturday at Independence High School in San Jose.

Each of the teams came into the regional playoffs after winning Valley championships. Both teams had dominated the Central Section the last several years, with Buchanan winning its fourth straight championship and Clovis a third straight title.

The Bears then defeated Bella Vista 18-8 in the first round Nov. 19 and took down Garces 13-11 in the semifinal Nov. 21 to put themselves in position to win the regionals.

The Cougars embarked on their run to the state title with a 9-2 victory over Sir Francis Drake-San Anselmo and a 13-9 triumph over Rio Americano-Sacramento, putting them in the regional championship.

Michael graduated from Fresno State in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in print journalism. During his time at the university, he served as sports and managing editor for The Collegian, Fresno State’s student-run newspaper. In addition to the Clovis Roundup, Michael has written for The Fresno Bee, the Kingsburg Recorder and Selma Enterprise. He has a passion for sports and can be found on the sidelines at local games, bringing the citizens of Clovis the athletics news they deserve.