Foster advanced to the State Semis
By Matt Powell
SAN ANTONIO — Two programs that had never hoisted a water polo state trophy left Josh Davis Natatorium with one Saturday.
Austin Westlake ran away from Boerne Champion 15-8 for the UIL boys championship, and Lewisville Hebron survived a six-tie thriller against Clute Brazoswood, 10-8, for the girls title. Both are first-time champions in a sport the UIL has sanctioned only since 2022, and both finished the season with a single loss or none at all between them: Westlake 31-1, Hebron a perfect 28-0.
For the Houston area, the weekend ended one short. Two-time defending boys champion Clear Creek fell in Friday's semifinal, and Brazoswood — the 2024 girls champion making its fifth straight state trip — came within a goal of forcing a fourth-quarter tie before Hebron closed it out.
Boys: Westlake 15, Boerne Champion 8
Westlake scored the first eight goals of the championship game and never gave Boerne Champion a way back in.
The Chaparrals shut out Champion for an entire half. The Chargers did not find the net until 4:30 remained in the third quarter, and by then the game was decided. Senior Luke Welton scored six goals and was named game MVP; sophomore Zephyr Gates added four. Goalkeeper Silas Chamas turned away chance after chance, and head coach Darci Carruthers called it the best defensive effort her team had played all season.
The title comes in just the fourth season Westlake has fielded a water polo team. The Chaps finish 31-1, ranked No. 4 in the country by MaxPreps, and they reached the final by beating Lewisville Hebron 16-9 on Friday — a game that was tied 3-3 after one quarter before Westlake pulled away. Welton had four goals and four assists in the semifinal; Laird Green scored three.
Boerne Champion, in its fifth straight state tournament, is still chasing its first championship. The Chargers earned their shot by knocking off two-time defending champion League City Clear Creek 17-12 in the semifinals, avenging a one-goal loss to the Wildcats in August and a 17-12 loss at last year's state tournament. Junior Julius Hoxhaj, the reigning Express-News Boys Player of the Year, scored six in the semifinal and four more in the final despite constant double-teams. Grant Perkins added three goals in the championship game, and goalkeeper Jackson Hankins made 13 saves against Clear Creek.
Champion coach Scott Slay did not sugarcoat the final — the Chargers had 28 shots to Westlake's 33, several of them off the crossbar — but he called Westlake one of the best teams he has seen in 25 years.
Girls: Hebron 10, Brazoswood 8
The girls final was everything the boys final was not: tight, physical and in doubt until the last two minutes.
Brazoswood struck 24 seconds in on a Therese Braun goal, and from there the two teams traded punches. It was 3-3 after one quarter and 4-4 at halftime. Brazoswood erased three one-goal deficits in the third quarter alone, with Hope Kadlecik, Larissa Bracken and Braun each answering a Hebron score. Six times the game was tied. Neither team ever led by more than two.
Hebron freshman Ryann Renfroe finally broke it. Her goal with 1:12 left in the third put the Hawks up 8-7, and she scored again with 4:32 to play to make it 9-7. Bracken pulled Brazoswood back within one at 9-8 with 4:15 left, but sophomore Lauren Waggoner's insurance goal at 2:41 and a shutdown final four minutes from the Hebron defense sealed it.
Senior goalkeeper Amber Cho made 13 saves and was named championship game MVP. Sophomore Abi Cho and Renfroe each scored three. Hebron, the No. 1 team in the MaxPreps national rankings, finishes 28-0 and topped 400 goals on the season. The Hawks had beaten Brazoswood twice in August, 8-6 and 9-5, and Amber Cho said getting the Buccaneers a third time — with a state title on the line — made this one special.
Hebron reached the final by routing San Antonio Clark 25-15 on Friday, the Cougars' first state tournament appearance.
Brazoswood (32-3), ranked No. 6 nationally, was chasing its second title after winning it all in 2024. Larissa Bracken led the Buccaneers with three goals in the final after an eight-goal semifinal against Richmond Foster, which Brazoswood won 15-11 behind seven unanswered third-quarter goals. Goalkeeper Claire Crisp had 13 saves against Foster and seven in the final. Coach Robert Brown's Bucs have now played in all five UIL girls state tournaments.
Foster, the other Houston-area semifinalist, bows out after its trip to San Antonio.
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The top half of this week’s Power Rankings remained relatively stable as 10 of the top 11 teams all won games in which they were favored by relatively comfortable margins. Even last week’s marquee matchup – the annual “Battle of the Lakes” between top-ranked Westlake and #6 Lake Travis -- was a somewhat one-sided affair won by the Chaps. (The Cavs, then, were the only Top 10 teams to drop their game.)
So, the Top 5 remain frozen in place, as all five teams posted comfortable wins. #6 Hutto and #7 Vandegrift slip in front of Lake Travis, followed by Weiss and Bowie who also racked up lopsided wins.
Anderson outlasted a vastly improved Manor squad to lead off the second half of the rankings. Rouse stays put at #12 thanks to a competitive loss to #7 Hutto, followed by Liberty Hill and Wimberley, who defeated arch-rival Lago Vista to remain the highest ranked 4A squad. Georgetown moves up to #15 with a tough road win at A&M Consolidated.
Legacy Ranch keeps climbing, now up to #16 off their Bye week. Bastrop keeps getting healthier and climbs 3 spots to #17. Lago Vista and Hendrickson each slip a spot and settle at #18 and #19, respectively. Hays re-enters the ranking at #20 simply because they seem to be the best of the remaining teams.
Regents had their Bye but remain atop the private school rankings. St. Michael’s remains at #2 despite their loss to Central Catholic – who had defeated Lake Travis earlier this year – simply because there’s still a gap between the Warriors and the rest of the private squads. Hyde Park, Hill Country Christian and Brentwood Christian collectively defeated their opponents 169-16 to round out the Top 5.
The closer we get to the end of the regular season, the more the rankings solidify. Be sure to check in next week after top-ranked Westlake hosts insurgent second-ranked Cedar Ridge with the District 25-6A title on the line.
VYPE Austin Top 20 Combined Class 4A-6A
*Last parenthesis indicates most recent game result
1. (1) Westlake Chaparrals (6A) 7-1 (W 38-17 @ #6 Lake Travis)
2. (2) Cedar Ridge Raiders (6A) 8-0 (W 68-29 vs. Stony Point)
3. (3) Dripping Springs Tigers (6A) 7-1 (W 42-0 @ Hays)
4. (4) Round Rock Dragons (6A) 6-2 (W 49-7 @ McNeil)
5. (5) Cedar Park Timberwolves (6A) 9-0 (W 26-13 vs. East View)
6. (7) Hutto Hippos (6A) 7-2 (W 49-25 @ #12 Rouse)
7. (8) Vandegrift Vipers (6A) 5-3 (W 42-14 @ Leander)
8. (6) Lake Travis Cavaliers (6A) 3-3-1 (L 38-17 vs. #1 Westlake)
9. (9) Weiss Wolves (5A-1) 6-2 (W 49-21 vs. Killeen)
10. (10) Bowie Bulldogs (6A) 6-2 (W 49-6 vs. Del Valle)
11. (11) Anderson Trojans (5A-1) 6-2 (W 63-50 @ Manor)
12. (12) Rouse Raiders (6A) 4-4 (L 49-35 vs. #7 Hutto)
13. (13) Liberty Hill Panthers (5A-2) 5-4 (W 58-28 @ Long Creek)
14. (14) Wimberley Texans (4A-2) 7-0 (W 27-7 @ #15 Lago Vista)
15. (16) Georgetown Eagles (5A-2) 5-4 (W 41-38 @ A&M Consolidated)
16. (17) Legacy Ranch Wranglers (5A-2) 5-2 (BYE)
17. (20) Bastrop Bears (5A-2) 4-4 (W 65-0 @ Navarro)
18. (15) Lago Vista Vikings (4A-2) 6-2 (L 27-7 vs. #14 Wimberley)
19. (18) Hendrickson Hawks (5A-1) 4-4 (L 31-29 vs. Shoemaker)
20. (NR) Hays Hawks (6A) 4-4 (L 42-0 vs. #3 Dripping Springs)
On the Radar: Hays (4-4), Taylor (5-3), Pflugerville (4-4), McCallum (4-4), Crockett (4-4), Manor (4-4)
VYPE Austin Top 5 Private Schools
*Last parenthesis indicates most recent game result
1. (1) Regents Knights (TAPPS D2) 7-1 (BYE)
2. (2) St. Michael’s Warriors (TAPPS D1) 6-3 (L 31-21 vs. Central Catholic)
3. (3) Hyde Park Panthers (TAPPS D2) 6-3 (W 63-0 vs. St. Anthony)
4. (4) Hill Country Christian Knights (TAPPS FL) -3 (W 50-16 vs. Kingdom Collegiate)
5. (5) Brentwood Christian (TAPPS FL) 7-2 (W 56-0 vs. Village)
On the Radar: St. Andrew’s (5-3)
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