The Enumclaw High boys water polo team wrapped up a busy week of play with a 4-3 record at the Tualatin Hills Best of the Northwest Invitational Tournament in Beaverton, Ore.
The Hornets began the week’s play Oct. 18 with a 17-11 league win over Kentridge.
Enumclaw scored first with Bennon VanHoof’s goal 11 seconds into the game. Kentridge tied the game two minutes later and took a 2-1 lead with 1 minute, 26 seconds left in the opening quarter. VanHoof tied the game with one minute left. The Hornets ran away in the second quarter, maintaining their stingy defense and scoring eight goals on offense to take a 10-4 advantage into halftime.
The two teams played even through the second half with the Hornets maintaining a six-point lead for the win.
VanHoof led all scorers 10 points. Gabe Sales and Will Cooper each added two goals and Thomas Petersen, Carson Lanphere and Brandon Butler each scored a goal.
On defense, the Hornets tallied 38 steals led by VanHoof’s 10 and freshman goalkeeper Austin Kaehn’s seven. Kaehn also gathered 15 saves.
Thursday, Enumclaw lost to league rival Auburn Mountainview 10-9 in overtime.
The Lions got off to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter and stretched it to 4-0 in the second period until Mason Culp put the Hornets on the scoreboard with a goal with six seconds left in the first half.
Enumclaw outscored the visitors in the next two quarters to close the gap and Petersen scored the tying goal on a power play with 2:31 remaining.
In the first overtime, Mountainview scored on a power play in the second minute of the overtime period. VanHoof responded with the tying goal 14 seconds later. Brady Gardner scored with 24 seconds left in the first overtime for a 9-8 Mountainview lead.
VanHoof tied the game at 9 in the first minute of the second overtime, but the Lions scored the winning goal with 29 seconds left in the second overtime.
At the Best of the Northwest Friday, the Hornets opened with a 12-4 loss to Lakeridge and a 15-0 loss to Southridge, but redeemed themselves with four wins Saturday – 13-6 over Tualatin, 7-6 over South Eugene, 11-8 over Reynolds and a second 7-1 win over Tualatin.
Sunday, the Hornets finished competition with an 8-7 overtime loss to Beaverton. It was the Hornets’ third overtime game in four days. VanHoof scored 27 goals in the three-day tournament and Petersen added nine. Cooper scored six, Butler scored three, Riley Sexton and Culp each added two and Bryce VanHoof and Lanphere scored a goal each.
“We were thrilled with the way the guys played through this tournament,” coach Bob Averill said. “They got some wins against some very tough teams, and are better prepared for our state tournament.”
EHS, 4-4 in league play and 11-11 overall, continue league play Thursday, hosting Stadium at 8:30 p.m.
