West Orange girls, Dr. Phillips boys water polo teams advance to state finals

Both the Lady Warriors and Panthers will play for their respective state crown on Saturday, April 20 at the Gian Zumpano Aquatic Center in Miami.

By Sam Albuquerque
| 9:30 p.m. April 19, 2024

Sports

West Orange High girls water polo and Dr. Phillips boys water polo have both advanced to their respective FHSAA state championship games. The two will play for the ultimate prize on Saturday, April 20, at the Gian Zumpano Aquatic Center at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami.

West Orange (25-5) topped Gulliver Prep (20-4), 11-7 — holding the Raiders to just one goal in the second half. The Warriors will face another Central Florida school, undefeated Seminole High (30-0), which topped Miami Country Day (13-9), 16-4.

Seminole and West Orange played twice earlier in the season with the Seminoles of Sanford taking home both wins; 9-8 at home and 14-11 on the road.

In the boy’s bracket, Dr. Phillips (29-2) won its third straight close playoff game to advance to the state title game, beating St. Thomas Aquinas High (16-13), 15-12 — after falling behind in the first half, 7-6.

The Panthers will face Gulliver Prep (21-4) for the state crown. The two faced off twice this season, with DP winning both on the road, 14-9, and at home, 12-11.

The girls will kick off the title games at 1:30 p.m. followed by the boys at 3:30 p.m.

author

Sam Albuquerque

A native of João Pessoa, Brazil, Sam Albuquerque moved in 1997 to Central Florida as a kid. After earning a communications degree in 2016 from the University of Central Florida, he started his career covering sports as a producer for a local radio station, ESPN 580 Orlando. He went on to earn a master’s degree in editorial journalism from Northwestern University, before moving to South Carolina to cover local sports for the USA Today Network’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal. When he’s not working, you can find him spending time with his lovely wife, Sarah, newborn son, Noah, and dog named Skulí.