Top-ranked Huron upset in semifinals, finish third; Pioneer takes sixth, Dexter eighth
Though upset it wasn't a first place trophy, the Huron boy's water polo team celebrated its third place finish at the MWPA state championships.
Photo courtesy of Swoboda
Story updated on Monday, Nov. 15 at 11 a.m. with a formal apology from Huron head coach Justin Thoresen regarding comments he made about the officials.
ZEELAND - A magical season came to a disappointing end for the Huron High School boys water polo team Saturday at Zeeland West High School. The River Rats - ranked No. 1 in the state since the opening week of the season - fell to the eventual state champions Rockford 8-7 in the semifinals of the Michigan Water Polo Association State Championships.
Rockford defeated East Kentwood 8-3 in the finals to claim its second consecutive state title.
From the opening whistle, the Rams were determined not to let Huron’s go-to attacker, MWPA player of the year David Hasegan, beat them, committing two, sometimes three defenders to the Huron senior.
It worked. Though Hasegan scored three goals and had an assist, the Rockford defense was effective in limiting his chances in front of the net.
“You cannot defend David Hasegan one-on-one. He’s just too good of an athlete. It requires commitment from everybody on the team,” said Rockford coach Dave McWatters. “But they’ve got other great shooters too…but like in any sport, you’ve got to play the odds and in order to beat Huron you’ve got to shut down Hasegan first and then hopefully you’ve got enough defenders left to shut down the rest of them.”
“I wasn’t frustrated because it’s happened all year long, so we were expecting it,” Hasegan said. “We relied more on our outside shooters, it just didn’t work out the way it was supposed to.”
More Coverage at MLive.com: Rest of the Story | Boxscore | Tournament Bracket
MORE FINALS COVERAGE Pioneer takes sixth: Pioneer defeated Hudsonville 9-8 in double overtime, before falling to Birmingham Groves in the fifth-place match. (Rest of the Story | Pioneer vs. Hudsonville Boxscore | Pioneer vs. Birmingham Groves Boxscore)
Dexter finishes eighth: Dexter falls to Birmingham Groves 9-6 and Austin Daugherty's nine goals weren't enough in a 16-14 double overtime loss to Hudsonville in the seventh-place match. (Rest of the Story | Dexter vs. Birmingham Groves Boxscore | Dexter vs. Hudsonville Boxscore)
Comments
Pete Cunningham
Mon, Nov 15, 2010 : 11:02 a.m.
From Huron head coach Justin Thoresen: Coaches/Officials, I want to apologize for my behavior this weekend at the state tournament. My behavior was unacceptable and childish to say the least. I want to directly apologize to the Rockford coaching staff, players, and parents for questioning your victory over Huron in the semi-finals. Rockford was the better team and deserved to win. Congratulations on the State Championship. My sincere apologies to JR Vanderwall and Pat Clarin. I am extremely disappointed in my behavior. Questioning your integrity and character was unnecessary and absolutely unacceptable. To hint that either of you have alternative motives while officiating is absurd. When the reporter interviewed me, I was an emotional wreck. I had just received the red card and was flooded with raw emotions. I said things that I do not believe to be true. I have never regretted my actions more. This type of behavior is unwarranted and extremely immature. I have already contacted the newspaper staff to issue a formal apology. Most of all my actions show a lack of integrity, and character. This is not the person I am, nor the person/coach I want to be. As a coach I am supposed to be a role model for the kids, and this weekend I was far from that. I am devastated that I let my emotions get the best of me. I have never felt more embarrassed in my life. There is no excuse for being a sore loser and blaming it on the refs. This type of behavior should not be condoned. Matt Skavnak said to me "Your actions in the game brought the outcome into disrepute and were a credit neither to the sport nor to yourself." I agree with this statement 100%. I have set a terrible example for my student athlete's and it is a disgrace to the MWPA. I offer my sincere apology to both Patrick Clarin, JR Vanderwall, and to everyone in the water polo community. Justin Thoresen Ann Arbor Huron Men's Water Polo