Water Polo Wrap-up

There was no surprise on Wednesday December 21, 2022 when the Westdale Warriors captured their fourth consecutive water polo championship 5-2 over the Ancaster Royals in the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board championship at Hill Park.

The Westdale water polo dynasty has captured 17 city championships in the past 31 years.

“We have seven players, the core of our team, who have been playing together since they were 11 or 12.,” said coach Annette Tonogai. “We have a lot of strong swimmers.  And when you have strong swimmers, it’s just a natural progression that they will get better each year.”

Tonogai credited the work of Westdale coach Derek Sardo who saw the potential of those seniors back in 2016.  The Westdale team featured 12 seniors and five juniors.

The Warriors led 4-0 after two quarters, thanks to exceptional passing and great defence.  Ancaster closed the gap with two goals before losing 5-2.

WESTMOUNT WINS BRONZE

Lucas Blunsdon scored in overtime to give Westmount Highlanders a 9-8 victory over Dundas Valley Gryphons.  The two teams played to an 8-8 tie in the regular season. Blunsdon hopes to play for the Western Mustangs next year.

HWDSB WATERPOLO CLINIC

Ancaster head coach Dawn Adams hosted a water polo clinic for junior boys.  Five schools participated including, Waterdown, Bernie Custis, Ancaster, Westdale and Sherwood. HWDSB is planning on future clinics for novice Water Polo players to grow the sport across Hamilton-Wentworth.

-Dave Rashford