REWIND: Ripon Senior Kole Gonzales, 2015 Boys Water Polo POY

Kole Gonzales allowed a few tears to drip down his cheek and later hugged his coach, Erik Zador.

It had ended, an incredible two-year run by the Ripon High School boys water polo team. The Indians’ 13-3 win over Sonora on Nov. 14 clinched a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title for a team that struggled just to get through the season.

Gonzales, Ripon’s 6-foot-3 senior and captain, carried most of the weight. His team-leading 91 goals, six during the final, preceded a wave of emotion when he realized it was over…

Gonzales, The Modesto Bee’s Boys Water Polo Player of the Year, became the glue that sealed the championship for Ripon (17-6)…when they went 27-4 and lost a 16-15 heartbreaker to Rio Americano in the Division II final.

Source: Gonzales ends two-year run with Ripon section title