Over the past five seasons, the girls’ water polo team has played in three 6A State Championship matches. With a strong team coached by Mike Byrd, they came into the 2018 season as a likely contender for the state championship.

After their 20-6 season in 2017, Lincoln finished the 2018 season with 22 wins and went undefeated in PIL play. Big wins against Bend, Westview, and Southridge propelled the girls into the playoff picture.

The girls ended their season with a playoff run. Lincoln beat 13th ranked Sandy with a score of 16-10 on Nov. 3 and continued on to win the quarterfinals against Summit.

In the semifinals, Lincoln beat the highest ranked team in the state, Newberg, by a score of 11-10. Despite this result, the Lincoln girls lost in the championship match to Sam Barlow after a “hard fought” game, according to the lhswaterpolo Twitter account.

In the 2018 season, the Lincoln boys’ water polo team went 11-17 overall. But after an important win against Sunset at the end of the 2018 regular season, they were through to the playoffs.

The boys started off their playoff run beating 7th ranked Lake Oswego in a 12-7 win. This pushed them into the second round, setting them up to play No. 2 Lakeridge later in the day. Lincoln lost to Lakeridge 20-7, placing them in the consolation bracket.

The boys faced No. 5 Beaverton in the boy’s 5th place final. The match was close, but it resulted in a Beaverton victory, 14-11. The loss ended Lincoln’s season and placed them No. 6 in the state.

The Lincoln girls’ and boys’ water polo teams ended their 2018 seasons with a loss, but that won’t hold them back in the future. Both squads have “a huge class of freshman players,” according to the lhswaterpolo Twitter account. With more playoff experience, both teams look to continue their success next season.