Rockwall boys water polo earned a playoff berth with a 2-6 district record and fell to Klein Oak 22-5 in the opening round Oct. 8.
The Yellowjackets finished 4-14 overall but claimed the fourth and final playoff spot in District 5-6A, according to MaxPreps. Both of their district victories came against rival Rockwall-Heath: a 20-14 win Sept. 5 and an 18-17 win Sept. 30.
That Sept. 30 win clinched the Yellowjackets' postseason bid.
Rockwall opened the season Aug. 7 with a 26-6 loss at Prosper and picked up its first win four days later, 22-18 at Ryan. The Yellowjackets then lost three straight before going 1-3 at a tournament in Garland Aug. 28-29. A loss at Forney on Sept. 1 dropped Rockwall to 2-10 before the team beat Heath for the first time Sept. 5.
The team scored 168 goals on the season and allowed 310. Senior Sam Schultz was the driving force behind the offense. Schultz led the team in goals, points, assists and steals, the Rockwall County Herald-Banner reported.
In the playoff opener against Klein Oak, the Yellowjackets trailed 12-2 at halftime and could not recover, falling 22-5. Klein Oak outscored Rockwall 8-1 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.
The loss ended Rockwall's season.
Coaches Jace Brown and William Neill Marshall led the Yellowjackets' water polo program this season, part of the aquatics staff Rockwall ISD announced in July. T.J. Starling coached Rockwall-Heath's water polo team.
Rockwall's girls water polo team also reached the postseason. The Lady Jackets finished 6-11 overall and 4-4 in district for third place, the Herald-Banner reported. Junior Kylie Vaughn led the team with 70 goals and 77 points on the season. Vaughn returns next year as a senior.
