TOWAMENCIN- One week removed from the girls’ state title, the boys’ water polo team got to celebrate a state championship as well.

The Knights beat the Wilson Bulldogs 14-9, in their home pool here at North Penn, to become state champions for the second straight year in a row.  The coaches jumped into the pool to celebrate with their players on what was a great night at the high school.

“It is an awesome feeling knowing that you are back to back champions.  We came together as a team and completed the goal we wanted to do,” junior Sean Faikish said.

Last year however was completely different for the team.  For the most part, the seniors ran the show but this year the team was consisted of a lot of juniors.

“They had big shoes to fill but we watched a lot of film and I think the guys started to understand how to play at a high level towards the end of the season,” said senior captain A.J. Patterson.

The biggest key to success for the team was by far having good chemistry in the pool. According to Faikish, the chemistry for the team is demonstrated on a day-to-day basis.

“The chemistry that we have gained over the years, it’s something that you cannot break…Everywhere you look in the hallway, you see a water polo player with another teammate.  We are constantly hanging out with each other all over school.  It’s awesome to see that we are such close friends outside of the sport,” Faikish explained.

Along with the family like roster, there is a coaching staff right behind them to lead the way.

“All three of our coaches have put forth all of their effort into winning states for both the boys’ and girls’ teams.  Knowing that they have our backs through the end is a great feeling to have,” Faikish stated.

For the seniors, their water polo careers at North Penn concludes in most likely the best way possible, which is on top.

“North Penn water polo has been my life. all of the preseasons, morning practices, and tournaments, it really does take a lot of your time but it was so worth it.  I love every one of my guys and all of the coaches, they really made high school for me,” Patterson reflected.

As for the under classmen, they are very confident with their chances of continuing a tradition of excellence as they go for a three-peat next year.

“I’m extremely confident.  We only graduate one starter and the rest are juniors including our goalie, who will be coming back next year.  All of our backups to come off the bench were also juniors so next year we will have a great shot of winning again,” Faikish said.

Even though the team might have been the ones celebrating in the pool, they weren’t the only ones who deserve credit.

“I’d like to thank all the seniors for what they given us the past four years. Also, I’d like to thank the parents for everything they’ve done throughout the year.  We wouldn’t have been here without them,” Faikish stated.