Bishop’s water polo teams are again section Open Division champions

Once again, Bishop’s School water polo rules the CIF San Diego Section Open Division.

Both the boys and girls varsity teams successfully defended their championships with victories in the division finals June 19.

Girls

Before heading to Stanford University, Bishop’s senior Sophia Sanders enjoyed a three-peat championship with the Knights.

Sanders and junior Alex Bonaguidi recorded five goals each to spearhead top-seeded Bishop’s past Carlsbad
16-9 for the Open Division title in the third consecutive final between the schools.

“It’s really good to get a win in my senior year, even though I already graduated [June 4],” said Sanders, who helped the Knights finish their season unbeaten at 15-0. “It’s really fun here with my team.”

Bishop’s built an 11-3 halftime lead over the Lancers (15-2).

Carlsbad, which also lost to the Knights in the teams’ only regular-season meeting, was denied its first championship since 2018.

Boys

Despite facing an early four-goal deficit, Bishop’s senior Jack Martin and his teammates were not to be denied a second straight Open Division championship.

Martin scored eight goals as the top-seeded Knights rallied to overcome Cathedral Catholic 16-14 and complete an unbeaten season in the finals rematch. Cathedral Catholic had defeated La Jolla High School in the semifinals June 15.

After trailing 5-1 in the final, Bishop’s (15-0) pulled even at 5 with 3:39 to play in the first half and was tied at 7 at halftime with the Dons (13-4). Ultimately, the Knights used a 5-0 surge to take control 15-11 with 4:40 left in the match.

“We honestly just thought after the first quarter, we just have to start over,” said the Stanford-bound Martin. “We ended up playing our hearts out and doing it. That’s great.”

— La Jolla Light staff contributed to this report. ◆