By Uy Pham
Looking for their first-ever home playoff win at the recently re-dedicated Ray Bray Aquatics Center, the Fountain Valley High School boys’ water polo (12-13) faced off against the Liberty High School Bison (18-12) in the first round of the CIF-SS Division Four playoffs on Tuesday.
While the Barons led by two goals heading into the final period, the Bison scored a last-second buzzer-beater to secure a 5-6 win.
Senior Anderson Luu and junior Billy Watkins scored two goals each for the Barons. On both sides of play, seniors Ryan Zarzana and Jake Nguyen worked to facilitate the offensive and defensive structures for the Barons. Throughout the game’s progression, in the net, sophomore Elijah Merrill made several key saves to repel the Bisons’ attacks.
“It was a great game. Just some pivotal moments that we didn’t quite capitalize on the goal,” head coach Kyle Adama said. “They really came into light at the end of the game. A lucky shot went in, and that was the end of the game.”
The first period showcased dominant defensive displays, with both sides resisting each other’s offensive pressures. Attempting to establish the tempo early on, the Barons found the opportunities for several shots by Zarzana and senior Charlie Koch, but the Liberty goalie maintained his fort.
On the defensive side, sophomore and goalie Elijah Merrill saved several shots in response to the Bisons’ early attacks, and Watkins secured several steals to generate counterattacks.
Another few shots by the Barons failed to land on target, and the Bison tried to reapproach the Barons’ net. Yet again, Merrill dived for save after save, deftly positioning himself to respond to shots skidding across the pool surface.
With the game remaining scoreless in the period, the Barons started the second period immediately connecting offensively. Watkins curved a shot to the top left, finding the space to tip the ball over the goalie’s arms for the first points of the game.
In response to several offensive chances generated by Watkins and Luu, the Bison would maintain a rigid defensive pressure. Zarzana began to find his rhythm, leaping in front of a Liberty player to intercept passes and attempting to kickstart offensive plays of his own.
Breaking through the Bisons’ defense several times, Zarzana attempted to locate several shots against Liberty’s defensive pressure. Combined, Zarzana’s defense and Merrill’s saves would keep the Barons’ lead at 1-0 heading into the third quarter.
Two minutes into the third period, Liberty would find their player open in the middle, belting the ball into the top corner to tie the game. Junior Owen Nacke would respond with a steal and found Zarzana in front of the goal. With his first shot saved in the one-on-one position, Zarzana rebounded, regrouped and deftly slided the ball into the net to regain the lead two minutes later.
20 seconds later, a Bison heaved the ball over the Barons’ head, finding a player to score at the left post. With 4:03 remaining, Zarzana connected with Luu, who shot the ball across the goalie to reclaim the lead at 3-2.
Working to build on his scoring rhythm, Luu stole the Barons’ in the defensive half, advanced toward the goal and scored ahead of the Bison defenders with 2:30 remaining in the period.
The Barons and Bisons exchanged another set of goals. A power shot slipped past Merrill’s hands, and Watkins launched a shot to the top corner to end the period with a score of 5-3.
“We scored a fair amount in the third period. We opened up,” Adama said. “It was very stagnant on both sides and then things started moving … [Having] a bit of a break and then talking to each other about the game plan worked out well.”
Piercing through the Barons’ defense to start the fourth period, the Bisons secured two goals in one minute and tied the game with five goals each.
Throughout the final minutes, the teams would alternate between defensive structure and offensive counterattacks. The Barons worked to pivot around the Bisons’ defense, but, with their shots being blocked, defensive pressure restrained Liberty from generating further scoring opportunities.
“We wanted to stay constant,” Adama said. “We missed some communication spots, but, in the end, a few shots didn’t go our way.”
Koch’s defensive stop provided a final scoring opportunity for the Barons in the last 30 seconds. Regrouping from a timeout, the Barons initiated a cohesive passing play, but Liberty disposed of them to call a timeout of their own.
An ultimate steal and final counterattack from Luu advanced the ball down the pool, but the Bisons quickly tipped the ball from his grip. Winding from the middle of the pool, the Bison heaved a shot — a shot that sailed past Merrill’s hands into the bottom left of the net as the final buzzer rang for the Bison’s 5-6 win.
“[Having a brand new pool] is huge with the new changes in CIF. It’s pretty nice to be able to have a game here and be able to host one,” Adama said. “It was a great job for the seniors, we sent six of them off and wished the best for them.”
The Barons have qualified for the CIF playoffs for three consecutive seasons. Liberty High School will advance to the second round of the playoffs on Thursday.
