The562’s coverage of aquatic sports in Long Beach in 2026-27 is sponsored by Watersafe Swim School.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The562’s football coverage for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Long Beach Poly alums Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
It was about as close a first half as the Wilson boys’ water polo program has seen in recent Moore League history as the Bruins hosted Long Beach Poly on Tuesday afternoon. The two teams traded the lead four times before a shorthanded Wilson took the lead for good in the second half, eventually pulling away for an 11-6 win to clinch the program’s 19th consecutive Moore League title.
“I think we had four or five guys playing their first varsity minutes today, and I’m super stoked on their communication on defense and just the way they bought into the whole system,” said Wilson coach Zac Polmanteer. “They had some kids above them that were leading them, and when you put enough things together, you find success, and tonight we did that.”
Wilson was missing a handful of players on Tuesday including the majority of its seniors, who had previously made up the Bruins’ entire starting roster this season. When asked about the players’ absence, Polmanteer referenced a “situation that occurred at school” but declined to comment on whether those players are expected to return this season.
In light of the absences, Wilson received big performances from a number of younger players who stepped up in the second half after the game was tied at four goals apiece. Freshman Chi Kredell was one of those players, helping spark a four-goal run that gave Wilson the lead for good, while Scott Daniels also added a goal during that stretch and finished as the team’s leading scorer with a hat trick.
“We just had to come together as a team,” Daniels said of pulling out the win. “We’re a little short on seniors right now, and I think all of these younger guys stepped up today. I’m proud of them. We were able to start scoring more in the second half, and we were able to ride that bit of momentum.”
Along with Daniels’ three goals, Wilson had three other players score multiple goals with Jackson Rocl, Evin Vanderwal and Chi Kredell. Freshmen James Spina and Enzo Horuichi each added a goal in the win.
For Long Beach Poly, the Jackrabbits were led by a hat trick from Rene Ortega, while Benjamin Rocha added a pair of goals and Aiden Greenwood scored once. The Jackrabbits held a lead after the first quarter and eventually tied the game coming out of halftime before falling behind for good.
“Our game plan going in was to play to our strengths and run a movement offense,” said Poly coach Ishmael Pluton. “We knew they had bigger guys, and we wanted to get them caught holding and earn as many ejections as possible, and we did. That was the momentum we wanted, but unfortunately we just couldn’t keep it.”
Poly set the tone in the first quarter after Wilson opened the scoring with a goal from Spina, as the Jackrabbits answered with goals from Ortega and Rocha to take the lead after the first seven minutes. The second quarter then saw two ties and two lead changes, capped off by a buzzer-beating goal from the middle of the pool by Wilson’s Vanderwal to give the Bruins a 4-3 lead at the break.
The Jackrabbits re-tied the game to open the second half with a goal from Greenwood before an offensive onslaught from Wilson that saw four straight goals. Kredell, Rocl and Daniels all scored during that stretch, which was part of a 5-1 quarter for the Bruins. Wilson added a pair of insurance goals to open the fourth before Poly found one last goal to cap off the scoring.
“I really needed our wings to get lower, and we needed to progress the counterattack so that we were really bringing the bottom line as close to the goal as possible,” Polmanteer said of his second-half adjustments. “That way, the top line really has to drop off and help the middle of the pool. We had a lot of guys with some great reads based on the zone by centering the ball, and when the zone stayed home, they put some good shots on the cage. I’m really happy with their decision-making.”
Wilson will look to close out an undefeated league campaign with their league finale against Lakewood on Tuesday before capping the regular season with a matchup against Mira Costa on Oct. 21.
For Poly, the Jackrabbits will finish the Moore League season with a matchup against Lakewood on Thursday in their final regular-season boys’ water polo match in their current natatorium before construction begins on the Jackrabbits’ new aquatic center.
