After being unable to play competitively for the past 16 months, several 16-and-under and 18-and-under water polo players from the Mantas Swim and Water Polo Club were in action in the 2021 Southwest Zone National Junior Olympic Qualifiers at the CFISFD Natatorium in Houston, Texas, over the weekend.
Both squads were able to qualify for the USA Water Polo Junior Championships, set for July 29 – August 1 in Dallas, Texas.
Action at the Junior Olympic qualifiers over the weekend got underway on Friday and wrapped up on Sunday. The two Bahamian teams merged with the Houston Storm Water Polo Club.
Traveling with the team was National Water Polo head coach Laszlo “Coach Lotty” Borbely who was excited that the players got back into the pool to play competitively.
“The players were happy to play after not being able to play for 16 months. They were training during that time. Those who were not taking exams came to Houston and were happy to play,” Borbely said.
Playing for the Mantas in the 18U (18-and-under) category were Jayden Seymour, Oliver Roberts, Akeil Smith, Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield, Aidan Johnson, Alexander Turnquest, Jelani Grant and Gabriel Encinar Czartoryski.
The 16U (16-and-under) team included Dominic Demeritte, Logan Carey, Ashley Darville, Matthew Thompson, Davawn Turner, Te’Sean Henfield, Joshua Gibson, Khari Marshall, Remington Minnis and Tonny Simon.
“The players played very well. I was not sure what to expect but I was very happy to see that the players played well. A lot of things that we practiced, like our new type of breaking and fast-breaking, were carried out very well. Obviously, some things didn’t work and we’ll have to improve on those,” Borbely said.
The 18U team sported a perfect 3-0 win/loss record in the Green Bracket group stage. They opened the tournament with a huge 24-7 victory over the Mavericks.
The team lost in the semifinals, falling 10-4 to Southside Navy on Saturday, which set up an appearance in the bronze match against the Thunder on Sunday morning.
In the bronze match, the Thunder took care of the Mantas/Storm, winning easily 15-3. The team ended the tournament fourth out of 12 teams.
The 16U team had a slow start but managed to finish strong in the Silver Bracket. They sported a 3-2 record in the tournament after starting 1-2. In their final two games, they defeated the Viper Pigeon Black team, 15-6, and the Aqua Swift team, 13-6.
In the end, the 16U team finished ninth out of 16 teams.
The players will return to Texas to play in the USA Water Polo Junior Championships in July.
The post Mantas experience action in Houston appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/mantas-experience-action-in-houston/
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