Cincinnati’s high school water polo teams absolutely showed up at the Ohio state tournament, with St. Xavier grabbing the state runner-up spot and Sycamore clinching third place. It was a wild ride at Sycamore High School on October 31, a day that proved these teams weren’t just showing up, they were making statements.
Bombers’ Finals Run and Meier’s Masterclass
St. Xavier made their intentions clear in the semifinals, taking down Sycamore 19-14. They shut down Sycamore’s star Ciaran Skinner with double-teams on defense, then unleashed a balanced offensive attack that saw six Bombers light up the scoreboard. This was St. Xavier’s third straight trip to the state semifinals, but it was their first time in the finals since 2016, showing just how hungry they were.
They went on to face Upper Arlington in the championship, but couldn’t quite seal the deal, falling 11-6. Still, what a performance from senior Spencer Meier, holding down the center guard position. This dude allowed ZERO goals defensively while still snagging a goal himself and dropping an assist. Talk about doing it all! And senior goalie Lucas Mijares was a brick wall in the first half, making multiple insane saves to keep the Bombers in the fight. Their season finished at 22-16-1 overall, with a third-place finish at the Ohio Cup and a top-eight spot at Philadelphia’s Beast of the East Tournament. What a season for the Bombers, they left it all in the pool.
Sycamore’s Upset and a History-Making Season
Don’t let the semifinal loss to St. Xavier fool you, Sycamore’s journey to third place was epic. As the No. 7 seed coming into the tournament, they pulled off an absolutely massive upset in the quarterfinals, knocking off defending champions St. Charles 9-6. St. Charles had only lost three times all year in 2026, so this was no fluke. Senior Colin McAllister earned a full line in that game, and senior David Parker was the unsung hero, completely denying the Cardinals’ 2-meter player any chance to get their offense going.
After the St. Xavier semifinal, Sycamore knew they had a physical battle ahead for third place against Thomas Worthington. These two teams had already played three times this season, with every single game decided by a single goal, and one even saw a broken nose! The physicality ramped up, and in the final quarter, Thomas Worthington cracked under the pressure, losing two key players to fouls or ejections. Sycamore pounced, winning that final quarter by four goals and taking the match 16-12.
But the real showstopper for Sycamore was senior Ciaran Skinner. This first-team All-Ohio selection didn’t just play, he made history! Skinner smashed the single-season goal record with an astonishing 163 goals, blowing past the previous mark of 156. In the tournament alone, he racked up 18 goals, six assists, 23 steals, and drew 14 ejections over four games. That’s an unreal stat line. Skinner didn’t just finish his season, he redefined what’s possible in Ohio high school water polo. What an absolute legend!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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