The Varsity Boys Water Polo team enjoyed a historic season, where they returned to Sectionals after a two year absence. A thrilling win over Warren served as a highlight  before an eventual loss to third-ranked Stevenson concluded the year. 

Led by captain Zach Chermak, who is committed to playing the sport collegiately and standout player George Dunnick, who broke the single-game goal record, the team collectively built one of their most successful seasons in recent memory. 

For captain and four-year varsity player Zach Chermak, this season felt like a culmination of his years of hard work, which prepared him for his upcoming career at Indiana University.

After being encouraged to join the sport after his freshman year swim season, he first played to stay in shape for swimming all year long. Three successful years later, he is ready for the next step.

“When talking to my coach about it this year, he highlighted my improvement defensively, offensively, and just my IQ in the pool,” Chermak said. “He mentioned that I probably could play next year, so I might as well give it a shot.”

While the Big Ten does not directly sponsor men’s water polo, they do offer highly competitive club-level teams. Chermak got in touch with Indiana’s coach over several emails and phone calls, leading to him joining Indiana’s club team in the fall as a walk-on. 

His skill extends beyond the pool, where he receives full support from his teammates.

“He’s always trying super hard to get everyone ready for games and wants to make sure everyone’s in the right mindset,” said varsity teammate George Dunnick. “He’s really good at propping everybody up.”

While Chermak’s leadership contributed to several victories, Dunnick delivered one of the most memorable moments of the year. 

In a tightly contested match against Warren earlier in the season, he made history with a 12 goal performance to help the Scouts win 16-15 in a major conference game. 

Entering the game, the team knew the stakes, as they split the first two of three meetings with Warren. Despite usually trying to eat healthy before a game, Dunnick resorted to a unique pre-game meal.

“I had a bag of gummy bears and a white Monster,” he said. “So I don’t know if that helped, but it certainly didn’t hurt.”

Early on, he traded goals with one opposing player, as the two of them shared the first ten goals of the game. As the score kept climbing, the team was aware and eager for the record.

“We knew I was getting close earlier in the year,” Dunnick said. “We didn’t really start thinking about the record until eight goals, but once we did, everyone was keeping track.” 

Chermak emphasized that it became the team’s goal to reach the record.

“I just kept passing him the ball because I knew he was going to just do something,” Chermak said. “It was just one of those nights where it felt like he could not miss.” 

While the year had its ups and downs, the team collectively celebrated its camaraderie and teamwork.

“Normally, for a lot of teams, it takes a little bit to get into the swing of things,” Chermak said. “But we played in sync really early on, and everyone was hardworking out of the gate.”

With only one senior leaving the team next year, Boys’ Water Polo hopes to match the same success next spring.