Congratulations to the men and women on the RRHS Water Polo team for their hard work and resilience during the 2025-2026 season, which officially came to a close this week. In the 5 years since the RRHS Aquatics program branched beyond Swim & Dive to add water polo, the team has grown in size, technical ability, and teamwork.
Strong performances from the 12 women and 13 men over the last 9 weeks propelled each of the teams to spots in the bi-districts playoffs for the 3rd year in a row. The Rattlers came up short, however, in hard-fought bi-district matchups: women were 6-9 against Davenport H.S. on Mon. Oct. 6, and the men were 2-17 against Davenport H.S. in the final game of the season on Tues. Oct. 7.
Beyond the numbers, Coach Michael Rourke, RRHS Aquatics head coach, praised the athletes for their progress and commitment to honing their skills, tenacity, and teamwork all season.
“I know this wasn’t the outcome we wanted, nor the one we deserved,” Rourke told the team, “but you all fought hard until the end and showed what it means to be a Reagan Rattler.”
In a demanding season that began the week before school started with practices and scrimmages, these 25 athletes have represented RRHS well in over a dozen matches against tough local competitors. Most of the team, who are dual athletes in Water Polo and Swimming, will collectively shift focus to the Swim & Dive season, which officially opened last week.
“I am so proud of all our young ladies and gentlemen for this water polo season,” Rourke continued. He also praised the 5 graduating seniors for dedicating their final year at Reagan to helping him shore up the water polo program: Ellie Bailey, Lydia Barrett, Addie Carpenter, Carly Cordero and Sabastian Rangel!
“Thank you to our seniors for continuing to guide and build a solid foundation for this team,” Rourke said.
Stay tuned for more action from this award-winning Aquatics Program!
Strike ‘em!
(Photos courtesy of James Lewis and Melissa Callister)