Cate Water Polo Advances to CIF Quarterfinals

November 7, 2023

Rams Make History in CIF Water Polo

Cate vs La Quinta – CIF Rd. 2

Coach Morrison(Right) and Coach Teddy Wecker ’17 (Left)

Team Photo After Big Win

Yesterday, November 2nd, our Cate boys water polo team traveled to Palm Springs, CA, for a matchup with La Quinta High School. This was our second-round CIF playoff game, and a win would make us the team that has gone the furthest in Cate water polo history. It would be an understatement to say our guys were excited to play.

Kicking things off in the first period, we jumped out to our best possible start. After having slow starts in nearly every game this season, we began this one with a 3-0 lead after the first period. Our three captains each scored a goal to give us a fantastic opening to the match. Remy Minnis ’24 scored inside, while Baye Breene ’25 and Phin Stephenson ’25 scored from the outside. These three have been our driving forces all season, and today was no different. The captain trio would be the only Rams to score during the match. Minnis would finish with four goals, Breene had two, and Stephenson put one away.

Phin Stephenson ’25

Remy Minnis ’24

The key point and highlight of our performance was defense. La Quinta had a fantastic crowd that provided their team with a ton of energy. Those kids scrapped for four quarters, but our team never got rattled or phased by shifts in momentum. Every time La Quinta went on a run, our team stayed composed and combated the storm with a big goal or steal. It was the most mentally and emotionally strong game our team has had all year.

Our defensive standouts were Elliott Paige ’26, Phin Stephenson ’25, Myles Warren ’24, and Fernando Baldocchi ’24. These four were ‘lights out’ on the defensive end – racking up steals, field blocks, and momentous plays. Whenever we needed a stop, one of these four came up huge for us. We couldn’t have won the game without their defensive efforts.

Baye Breene ’25

After several guys played the entire game without subbing, they left it all out there and earned us a huge team win. Cate would leave the desert with a 7-5 victory. With the win, we have advanced to the CIF quarter-finals. Looking ahead, tomorrow (Nov. 4th) we travel to Ayala High School in Pomona, CA for another big playoff game.