In the week leading up to the state tournament, the mens water polo team was looking to find some higher-level competition. And they did.

The team played both Xavier University (XU) and the University of Cincinnati (UC) water polo teams before going to their final tournament.

Both teams were very difficult matches for the Aves. The colleges are very strong, and their players are much larger than Sycamore’s, which proved to be a great but overcome-able challenge.

UC has also had a very strong program in recent years and features multiple Sycamore graduates including Adam Ioas, who is a current record holder in goals for Sycamore, with 126 in a single season.

The boys brought down XU on October 24 in a close 14-10 victory. They then went up against UC on October 26, and after tough fight, fell to the Bearcats.

“I really enjoyed the opportunity to play against the local college teams. I think this really helped us prepare for the upcoming weekend,” said Max Diehl, 10.

“We had a great time playing both of the teams, and we really learned a lot from our matches,” said Jordan Johnson, 11.

“The matches were very tough, but they both really prepared us for State this weekend, and I’m glad they came down to play us,” said Bryce Gwyn, 11.

Overall, the two matches were very great experiences for the team, and they have now turned their sights to the state tournament.