Playing strong and keeping their heads focused in the game was a major strategy that Birmingham Community Charter High School (BCCHS) men’s water polo used when playing in their city championship game against Cleveland High School. Their loss of 10 to 12 shocked everyone.
The Nov. 12 game that kept everyone on their toes ended up with stunning results. Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) junior Brandon Leon made the first goal of the game for BCCHS. This was followed by the defensive goals made by DPMHS junior Vahagn Ksachukyan and DPMHS sophomore Panos Getekian.
By the end of the second quarter, the team was winning with a score of 6 to 3. Near the start of the third quarter, BCCHS’s defense started to get sloppy and weak while Cleveland’s defense increased.
Another player accidentally hit Leon in the eye with his hand, but Leon didn’t let his injured eye affect his game. During that same quarter, DPMHS senior Robert Kldjian, Getekian and another BCCHS player were taken out of the game. Without three of BCCHS’s starters, the crowd knew the game was getting risky.
With 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Cleveland made their last goal, which brought the total score up 8 to 8. Due to the tie, the game went into overtime.
Many players and fans thought Cleveland had an unfair advantage to their win since the referee made unfair calls toward BCCHS.
With a second overtime and another tie, BCCHS increased its game level and played the best they could. But they weren’t able to catch up to Cleveland.
“I think we did great,” Ksachukyan said “We played the game out of our heart. It was a little heartbreaking losing but it’s okay. We’ll get them back next year.”
The four DPMHS players showed their pride for the game by wearing their medals to school two days later.