After handily defeating Houston Consolidated 26-1 to seal the water polo state championship, head coach Trent Calder dove into the pool, joining his team in celebration.

Following their last regular season win against Southlake Carroll, the Lions dominated teams in the Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (TISCA) State Championship, beating John Paul II 24-1 in the first round. After winning their sixth consecutive state championship, the Lions have solidified their dominance in Texas as a high school water polo powerhouse.

Having contributed to various state championships throughout his high school career, senior captain goalkeeper Gage Fojtasek was a vocal leader for the team, especially during this year’s championship run.

“As a goalie, one of my jobs is to direct the defense and be everyone else’s eyes,” Fojtasek said. “I already had some established leadership, but I had to work to earn my role of captain before the California tournament (Villa Park Classic).”

For Fojtasek, the movement of the season from spring to fall seemed unsettling; however, he and the team faced adversity and adjusted accordingly. Although the team gained many new faces at the beginning of the year, they fostered deep team chemistry and trust over the season, ultimately propelling them toward another state title. 

“I had confidence in our group of guys that we’d be able to go out and win,” Fojtasek said. “It also left me with a lot of confidence for the future seeing what guys like Matthew (Liu ’26), Oliver (Geheb ’26) and Andrew (Zhang ’26) can do.”