For the first time in school history, the Wildcats’ Boys Water Polo team is headed to region.

Woods’ trip to the regional tournament adds on to what has already been a historic season. They racked up 17 straight wins at one point, one of the longest winning streaks in the nation; finished the regular season 25-4, earning 10th in the state power rankings; and tied for the district championship with a 10-1 record, preventing Cypress Creek from taking their fourth straight title.

“It’s a culmination of many things,” Head Coach Tyler Nowak said. “Our seniors’ first year here was my first year, and they’ve gotten better and better progressively every year. It’s all coming to a point.”

In 2022, Coach Nowak led the inaugural season of water polo as an official sport at Woods. Just three players remain from that first roster: Warren Ashby, Ryan Conroy, and Christian Park, who’ve separated themselves as some of the best seniors in the state.

Together, with the peak of the mountain finally in sight, they climb toward the end of their four-year summit.

The beginning of the end takes place at the regional tournament, where they’ve earned their spot after breezing past the first two rounds and pulling out an 11-10 comeback victory against Lamar. The Wildcats now face their biggest challenge ever in Clear Creek, the reigning state champions.

“It’ll be tough, Clear Creek is a state-level team,” Nowak said. “We’ll have to play well to win but it’s not anything that’s outside of our capabilities.”

It’s the best season in school history. It’s the strongest players in school history. It’s the biggest game in school history. It all goes down at 7:20 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, at Lamar High School.