“Buzz!”

As the final timer blared at the girls water polo state championship game, junior Nevaeh Kerber, cried tears of joy. The water polo team had won State on Tuesday, May 14, against Parkway North, with the score of 9-5. 

Kerber said she felt her years of work pay off after gaining the win after earning second place the past two years. 

“Hearing the buzzer ring the last two years, it was a loss,” Kerber said. “But this year’s buzzer was something different and it was a win.”

Kerber scored three goals en route to a 9-5 win after MHS trailed 5-4 at halftime. She has been participating in water polo since her freshman year and was awarded All-Conference Player of the Year this season.

Kerber said team chemistry played a key role in the win.

“I think our team is really unique compared to the other teams in the state,” Kerber said. “We’re tight knit and we’re always open with each other. If we have issues, we talk about them and we never really get mad at each other.”

Nevaeh’s cousin, Cassidy Kerber, freshman, also scored five goals.

Isla Sattler, freshman, joined water polo after members of the swim team like Nevaeh encouraged her.

“It just seemed like a lot of fun,” Sattler said. “I’m glad I joined because the team is really close and the season has been great.”

Sattler was originally nervous during the game because they were down in score and they were confused about some of the calls made against their team. She played while they were losing, but once she got out of the pool, they had gained a lead, which she said made her feel more confident and excited about the chances of winning. 

Sattler played as one of the wing players and said a highlight of the game was when she blocked one of the North players from getting close to the goal. 

“I’m really glad that I got to play during the game. I didn’t think I would get to,” Sattler said. 

Once the buzzer signaled the end of the game and their win, the team and the coaches all jumped into the pool to celebrate and took pictures with their State plaque. 

“We were all celebrating, it was really exciting,” Sattler said.

Ed Bolton, science teacher, is close to many members of the team after having them as students for multiple years, and he taught one of the water polo coaches.

Bolton attended the game and said it was very exciting as it was a packed house.

“The crowd was totally into it and loud, so it was a really great environment not just for the crowd but for the girls in the pool too,” Bolton said. 

After knowing many of the players for multiple years, Bolton said he was very invested in the game. There were many close calls that made the game exciting, Bolton said. 

“I felt like I was going to have a heart attack,” Bolton said. 

Bolton said he was very proud to see his students succeed after their previous loss at the last State championship. 

McKenna Peters, assistant water polo coach, said the largest factor in winning the game was the hard work and complete dedication of the team. The team has held early morning practices 90 minutes before school and two-hour practices after school. 

“Our team really focuses on out performing and out training compared to the others,” Peters said. “I really think that gave us the edge because these girls put their heart and soul into training as well as into the game.”

Peters said although the team will lose impactful players after this year, the future of the team remains bright.

“We have a lot of new freshmen on the team that are very interested and invested in the sport,” Peters said. “Our team is losing some pretty powerful seniors, but they left a really good legacy and set an amazing example for our younger students to follow in.”