Liberty water polo team beats West in CIF playoff opener

Cael Hansen led the way with 5 goals Thursday as the Liberty High School boys water polo team defeated West Torrance 15-3 in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs.

Chase Mankin chipped in with 3 goals, followed by Gavin Stephens, Chris Bruner, and Rylan Holloway with 2 each. Tanzel Neubauer also scored a goal for the Bison, who now have a 22-7 record.

“Going into the playoffs is always nerve-racking, but these boys have worked for this and we are super excited to see where we continue to go this year,” said coach Hailey Badham. “The team pulled together as one, playing for one another and thriving in their individual roles. The players are combining their traditional strong defense with a completely unselfish offense. They exemplified playing together and putting the team over individual stats.”

Liberty will play at Sonora in the second round on Tuesday.