Bomber Water Polo Game of April 16th

On April 16th, the John Burroughs Water Polo team played a home game against the Pattonville Pirates. The starting lineup included Maddie Williams (#5), Howard Qin (#8), Alexander Edelman (#3), Josiah Harrison (#1), Ali Williams (#12), Dev Desai (#10), and Christian Chang (#11), with Joey Esposito (#9) subbing in a few minutes into the first quarter.

The Bombers started strong in the first quarter, with Howard Qin scoring the first goal of the game. Less than a minute after Howard, Dev Desai brought in another goal, setting a positive mood for the rest of the match. After a pass across the pool from goalie Josiah Harrison, Maddie Williams swam past the Pattonville defense for an impressive shot to the bottom right of the goal. The fourth, fifth, and sixth goals came from Howard Qin and Dev Desai. Soon afterwards, Christian Chang, a newly recruited freshman, went one-on-one against their goalie, scoring his first goal of the season into the top right corner!

Going into the second half, the score was 7-0. Maddie Williams began the half strongly, scoring in under thirty seconds in an impressive display of her athletic ability as she outswam every player in the pool. Christian Chang got another goal, Dev Desai an additional four, and Maddie Williams scored one more. Alexander Edelman showcased his patience by out-treading both the goalie and two defenders before dunking the ball past the goalie. With goals coming from all over the team, the Bombers doubled their score from the previous quarter, keeping their lead by 14-1.

The third quarter was a shutout for Burroughs. Goalie Josiah Harrison saved every shot that came towards him, and the team continued to score points, cementing a gaping lead. Christian Chang scored two more goals, Ali Williams scored one, and Joey Esposito scored his second goal of the game after consistently playing solid defense. Howard Qin then scored another goal. The score of the third quarter ended 19-1, nearly tripling the Bombers’ score since the first quarter.

In the fourth and final quarter of the game, the team shifted to a new strategy to conserve energy for the upcoming week of games. Coach Michael Nydegger and Assistant Coach Adam Hotaling decided the team should play more defensively and focus on controlling the score and ball. The team slowed their pace, which unfortunately cost them four goals. However, the Bombers retaliated by maintaining possession of the ball and adding two more goals from Alexander Edelman and Christian Chang. With a final score of 21-5, the Water Polo Bombers added another splashing win to JBS’s long streak of spring victories!

Game Statistics

Dev Desai: 6 goals (MVP for Goals Scored)

Christian Chang: 4 goals

Howard Qin: 3 goals

Maddie Williams: 2 goals + 1 penalty goal

Alexander Edelman: 2 goals

Joey Esposito: 2 goals

Ali Williams: 1 goal + 1 penalty shot

Josiah Harrison: 6 assists + multiple key saves

By: Josiah Harrison ‘27

Edited by: Perla Eidson ‘26