The 2014 Cathedral Prep water polo season came to an end this weekend after a proud showing at the state tournament. Eight elite teams worked their way to the top of their conference (East, Central, and West), and the winning teams were seeded as following (first to last): North Penn, Wilson, Cathedral Prep, Perkiomen Valley, Cumberland Valley, Governor Mifflin, Souderton, and North Allegheny.
Cathedral Prep was seeded third in the state. The Ramblers’ first game of the three they were going to play last weekend was against Governor Mifflin. At that point in the season, the Ramblers had only faced Mifflin once, at Mifflins home pool after a long day of driving, while Prep was down a starter due to injury. It was on that day that the Ramblers suffered their second defeat of the season, losing by one by a score of 9-8.
But the team was ready for them this time. With all seven starters healthy and ready to go, and a pool that was equally unfamiliar to both teams, there was a feeling in the air that this game was going to have a different outcome. It was an extremely close game all throughout, with neither team ever having a lead of more than one point. Coach Mike Doyle’s anxiety was at an all time high as the game was tied 12-12 with a mere :30 seconds to go.
The team had one possession that would be the difference between first place and last place. At the :21 second mark, Daniel Bauman popped out of the water and put the ball in the top corner of the net, putting the ramblers back in the lead. Mifflin now was back in possession, and desperately needed a miracle goal in the last few seconds of the game. Too bad for the Mustangs, Bauman stole the ball back, and held on to it until the time ran out. Unfortunately for the Ramblers, they played terribly their next two games, and took fourth in the state.
After the state championship, which Wilson won, it was time for the rewards. Freshman Calvin Behm was voted rookie of the year, which he very much deserved. Dan Bauman earned first-team all-state, Tom Squeglia got second team all-state, and Rex Riley got third team all-state.