Water polo played against Prosper in the natatorium on Oct. 5. Girls started at 6:00 p.m. while the boys started after.

Girls water polo won against Prosper 13-5 while the boys lost 4-23.

Junior Julie Kerkman scored seven goals, senior captain Bethany Sitz scored five and senior goalie Ella Copenhaver scored one to help RHHS win. 

Throughout the game, the intensity increases while the clock runs down to the last quarter. During water polo, each player has to tread water and cannot touch the bottom of the floor.

Even though the players have to deal through these challenges in the way, they also have ways to keep themselves hyped and excited during games.

Many players, including junior Derek Colbert, get together and hype each other up before a game. “As a team, we all would make a dance circle that we all would participate in [and] it helped all of us get hyped,” Colbert said. 

Sophomore Bella Uber’s way to be motivated for the match is to listen to music before a game. “Before the game, I like to listen to music and hype my friends up, causing me to get excited for the game,” Uber said. 

Junior Maddie Weir continues this from pre-game into the game. “Hyping up other team members when setting backup helps keep me personally motivated knowing that I’m surrounded by good players,” Weir said. 

Sitz has a motto that helps her to be motivated for each match. “If a team is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself,” Sitz said.

Water Polo became a University Interscholastic League (UIL) sport in the 2022-2023 school year. Even though the water polo season is over, the RHHS aquatics team is now in full swing for Swim and Dive season.