Gulliver secures boys’ state water polo championship against Orlando foe
Revenge is a dish best served … wet.
Even if it hurts.
After going 0-3 against Dr. Phillips in the regular season, the Gulliver Prep Raiders boys’ water polo team avenged those losses with a 9-8 state-championship victory on Saturday at Belen Jesuit.
After the last second had ticked off the clock, the entire Gulliver team — including coach Carroll Vaughan — dove into the pool to celebrate.
In that chaotic scene, Vaughan was accidentally kicked by one of her players on her left leg, leaving a nasty bruise.
Otherwise, though, the Raiders were feeling no pain as they won their sixth state title — more than any other boys’ water polo program in Florida history.
“It feels great,” said Raiders senior Tobias Schoendwald, the son of Gulliver’s principal. “I’ve been waiting four years for this.”
Senior Gabe Lewis, who led Gulliver with four goals on Saturday, is the only current Raiders player who was on the varsity the last time this program won state, which was in 2021.
On Saturday, Gulliver led 6-3 in the third quarter before Dr. Phillips tied the score 7-7 with 2:22 remaining in the game.
Lewis came back 18 seconds later with a perfectly-placed goal into the far-right corner, giving Gulliver an 8-7 lead.
Then, with 55 seconds left, Lewis served as a decoy. After a pass to Lewis in the middle, his dish led to Schoendwald’s goal that gave the Raiders a 9-7 advantage.
But then things got tricky for the Raiders.
Dr. Phillips scored with 39 seconds left on a soft shot that went off the fingertips of standout Gulliver goalie Juan Sebastian Ibarra.
After a Gulliver miss, Dr. Phillips — trailing 9-8 — called timeout with 10 seconds left, hoping for a goal that would send the game to sudden-death overtime.
Instead, Gulliver junior Alberto Escobedo came up with a huge deflection on a shot that went over the net, ensuring a Raiders victory.
Ibarra, a sophomore, finished with 12 blocks and one steal, capping his incredible season and story.
Last year, Gulliver used Leo Isom in goal. Vaughan thought she would have Pietro Enrico as her goalie for 2024, but he and his family moved to Italy.
Vaughan then tried about “five or six” options in goal before settling on Ibarra, who had never previously played the position.
“[Ibarra] is not afraid,” Vaughan said. “He’s an athlete, and he listens.”