BHS water polo perfect so far this season

Bainbridge High School Water Polo has drowned its competition with a record of 19-0 just a few weeks before the state championships.

The Spartans are undefeated through nonconference, tournaments and Division 1 league play, the first time since their state title in 2021 that contained one loss in the season.

“We have a lot of the pieces to the puzzle,” coach Kristin Gellert said. “We have a lot of guys who have been playing together for a long time. I have some pictures of these seniors when they were 11 years old playing together.”

The team is aiming to become the first Bainbridge water polo squad to finish the season undefeated since the late 1990s.

The undefeated season began with three wins at Curtis High. The Spartans defeated Newport and Roosevelt easily before battling their rivals, Curtis yet again.

“Before our jamboree tournament, I expected more competition from Newport and Curtis High,” senior Michael Bannister said. “But once we played them, I felt confident in our team’s ability to get the state title.”

The Spartans followed their hot start with a matchup against Peninsula, one of the top Division 2 schools in the state. Bainbridge outscored Peninsula 13-5 and jumped into the deep end afterward. The Spartans faced familiar foes to start the the season. Yet, Bainbridge steamrolled through Newport 20-11 and Curtis 15-7.

“It feels great because so many times growing up, the older guys would lose to them,” senior Micah Webber said. “When I was a freshman, we beat them for the first time. Since then, it’s been a tight battle.”

Bainbridge expanded its wings afterward at the PSP Tournament at Curtis Oct.14-15. The Spartans were one of eight teams in the tourney, five from Washington and three from Oregon.

The Spartans struggled due to players dealing with PSAT testing that same weekend. In addition, the Spartans have a talented bench but a smaller roster than in previous seasons. “We have a super small team so it’s a blessing and a curse,” Gellert said. “We can’t run many drills in practice but they get more reps, and they are super driven.”

The Spartans overcame their toughest obstacle and won 11-6 because of a late push in the fourth quarter. The Spartans returned to the pool and defeated Summit and Newberg, both of Oregon.

Bainbridge returned to league play with a chance to sweep Curtis in the regular season. Bainbridge handled its foes at home and continued to roll with its most recent victory over Interlake 21-5.

“This team is a bit more special because of our capability,” Bannister said. “We have been playing together for eight years and have a lot of new guys who are skilled as well.”

Senior Rylan Hopp added, “I thought we were going to be missing our previous seniors more but our underclassmen have stepped up a lot.”

Bainbridge has three regular-season games left against Mercer Island Oct. 24, Roosevelt Oct. 26 and Gig Harbor Oct. 30. The Spartans also will put their undefeated record on the line at the San Diego Invitational against some of the top teams in California Oct. 20-22.

“A couple of years ago, we borrowed film from a team we played against, and they had a commentator who said, ‘I guess that shows you can’t underestimate a team because they don’t have a tan,’” Gellert said.

Hopp added, “There is such a culture of water polo in California and when we are able to represent Washington, we are representing water polo outside of California.”

Although Bainbridge remains unbeaten, the Spartans are keeping a chip on their shoulder until they can hold the trophy. “It’s a really good feeling but we don’t want to take our foot off the pedal until that trophy is in our hand,” Hopp said.