Thursday’s Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division match at Mills was the season ender and, for the Cougar seniors, the career ender.
The Cougar underclassmen gave the seniors a fine farewell gift, defeating Mills, 16-14.
 Elijah Abramson scored 53 goals for Half Moon Bay this season despite being tightly defended. |
The Cougars finished in third with an 8-4 record.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” said Elijah Abramson after the San Mateo match, the Cougars’ final home match of the season. “I can remember my freshman year like it was yesterday.”
Abramson came to Half Moon Bay with basketball and baseball experience.
“I didn’t see myself having the type of senior season I had,” Abramson said.
He finished as the Cougars’ second leading scorer, with 53 goals.
“Lucas Flosi helped me a lot,” Abramson said. “Bobby Tamez told me my first day in the pool I could be good.”
Flosi graduated from Half Moon Bay last year, with Tamez having graduated from Half Moon Bay two years ago.
Abramson was put in the hole set, located a few meters away from the center of the goalie box. As soon as he would get to his spot, he would guard very intensely, as is the way the game is played.
Abramson strengthened up, scoring many wrap-around goals.
He scored eight goals against San Mateo and six against Mills.
James Anderson scored five goals in each match last week, to lead the Cougars with 58 goals.
“Playing our final match at home was depressing,” Anderson said. “It was cool that we won that match.”
Anderson was just as surprised to reach the level that he did.
“I did this sport (in fall) just to get into shape,” Anderson said. “My brother also did this sport. I got a lot of help from Dylan Johnson.”
An exchange student from South Africa, Johnson played on the Cougars’ 2007 team.
“I couldn’t see myself excelling in water polo like I did,” Anderson said. “I am happy to have played. I made a lot of friends.”
Coach Rich Bassi was thrilled with the showing of the team, despite most not having play varsity water polo before.
“We lost a lot of close games,” Bassi said. “I was very happy with the way we progressed in the second half of the season. The guys played better defense. We were never blown out.”
The frosh-soph team won the league title, beating Mills, 14-4, and San Mateo, 20-2.
Kevin Merritt scored 10 goals in the two matches. Matt Tolar accounted for seven goals with Jack Dobbrow scoring six.
The varsity girls lost their final match of the season to Mills, 8-2. Lena King and Kiana Miller each scored.
Half Moon Bay lost the frosh-soph match to Mills, 12-9. Shannon Cosgrave recorded six goals. San Mateo didn’t field a girls water polo team in either division. r
w