The Saline–Skyline boys’ water polo co-op wrapped up a milestone season with an eighth-place finish at the Michigan Water Polo Association State Finals, marking just the second State Finals appearance in program history — and the second in as many years. It also capped a season in which the team spent the entire fall ranked inside the MWPA Top 10, underscoring how far the fledgling partnership has come.
Their tournament run in Grand Blanc featured three hard-fought games, including a double-overtime battle with Birmingham Seaholm in the seventh-place match.
Saline–Skyline opened the weekend against Jenison-Grandville and fell 16–8. Jenison jumped out to a 5–1 lead after the first quarter and held a 9–2 advantage at halftime. Saline–Skyline used a five-goal fourth quarter to close the gap, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome. Sean Spooner, Brody Howe, Jacob Clauser, and Carson Ratajczak powered the offense, while Evan Pokryfke turned aside 11 shots on 27.
The second game came against Ann Arbor Huron, with Saline–Skyline again battling back after a slow start. Huron led 6–0 at halftime, but Saline–Skyline responded with a strong third quarter behind goals from Clauser and Spooner. Evan Pokryfke made nine saves on 20 shots, helping his team stay within reach before Huron closed out an 11–7 win.
The weekend ended with a dramatic seventh-place matchup against Seaholm that went into double overtime. Saline–Skyline led 2–1 after the first quarter before Seaholm surged ahead 7–4 after three periods. A five-goal fourth quarter pushed the game into overtime, where Seaholm finally broke through in the second extra period to win 11–9. Pokryfke finished with 12 saves on 23 shots.
Clauser scored three goals, while Howe (2), Spooner, Ratajczak, Ellis Wensuc, and Robby Shannon added key contributions. Shannon recorded four assists and the defense came up with multiple steals, led by Howe and Spooner.
It was also a strong statistical weekend across the roster. Clauser finished with six goals on the weekend. goals. Spooner finished the tournament with seven goals, three assists, and several steals. Howe added multiple goals, assists, and defensive stops. Ratajczak chipped in goals and steals in all three games. Wensuc scored once in each of the final two contests, while Shannon added a goal and six assists.
The season concluded with several postseason honors for the co-op. Sean Spooner earned All-State Honorable Mention and was named to the All-Region First Team for both the season and the tournament. Jacob Clauser and Brody Howe were selected All-Region Honorable Mention for the season, while Clauser, Howe, and Carson Ratajczak earned All-Region Honorable Mention for their tournament performances.
Photos by Javier Romero
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