Panthers Show Grit at Crafton Hills Tournament

The Chaffey College men's water polo team competed at the Crafton Hills Tournament over the weekend, facing Grossmont and Crafton Hills in a pair of competitive matchups. Despite showing flashes of offensive rhythm and teamwork, the Panthers came up short in both matches.

In their opening game, Chaffey fell 24-5 to Grossmont College. The Panthers battled through a strong opening frame, finding goals from Evan Fleming and Vincent Garibay, each assisted by Baron Gonzalez and Wendell McIntosh respectively. Parker Black and Thomas Skaggs also added goals later in the match, with Andrew Hinojosa providing an assist on Skaggs' conversion. Goalkeepers Nolan Hanson and Adam Kirkpatrick combined for eight saves in the cage.

In the afternoon matchup, Chaffey delivered a gritty performance but narrowly fell 11-9 to Crafton Hills College. The Panthers opened with a dominant first quarter, jumping out to a 3-0 lead on goals from Black, Gonzalez, and Gabriel Zarate Ayala. Fleming extended the advantage early in the second, but Crafton responded with a surge to take the lead by halftime. The Panthers continued to battle, with Black, McIntosh, and Hinojosa each scoring in the third and fourth quarters to tie the game at 8-8 before Crafton netted three late goals to seal the result. Hanson and Kirkpatrick combined for 11 saves, while Gonzalez and Fleming led the playmaking with multiple assists.

The Panthers will now return to South Coast Conference play on Wednesday, Oct. 29, hosting Rio Hondo College at the Aquatic Center at 3 p.m.