Clovis North Boys Water Polo Claim Superiority Over Clovis East

Bodhi Bowden winds back before burying a penalty shot in the Broncos 11-3 win over Clovis East, Sept. 18, 2019. PHOTO BY MICHAEL FORD

The Clovis North boys water polo team continued its hot start to the 2019 regular season with a dominant 11-3 victory over visiting Clovis East Wednesday afternoon.

And they did so on the strength of the offensive prowess of Bodhi Bowden.

Bowden, who is a nominee for the Clovis Roundup’s Player of The Week, launched a barrage of shots at the Clovis East net to the tune of eight goals.

It started early in the first period when Bowden helped the Broncos jump out to a 2-0 lead with a goal on a man advantage.

After a goal by teammate Lance Vukaljovic, Bowden found the net again from just inside the five-meter line for his second of the period.

All told, the Broncos were squarely in control after one with a 5-0 lead.

Far from satisfied, the North squad added two more goals in the second period, from, you guessed it, Bowden.

In between, East’s Alex Righetti notched his team’s first score of the match, but North’s stranglehold failed to loosen. At halftime, the Broncos carried a 7-1 advantage.

The third period was more of the same from Bowden. He tallied another score on a penalty, which he buried in the corner of the net.

Bowden elaborated on the mindset he has when faced with a situation when it’s just he and the goalie, one-on-one, with a goal and pride, on the line.

“I kind of control my breathing,” Bowden said. “It’s kind of stressful because everyone is staring at you. I know what I can do and I just placed the ball.”

North’s Anthony Terra put his name on the scoresheet from the five meter line to make the count 10-3 and Bowden added one last goal just for good measure to put the game to bed for good.

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.