The Norcross water polo team trailed Forsyth in the first quarter and were tied 4-4 at halftime in the GHSWPA Division I state championship on Oct. 7 at the Cumming Aquatics Center.
The Blue Devils were 14-0 to that point — true to team’s motto of “alpha” — and Norcross’s urgency was heightened by the desire to avenge last year’s runner-up finish in the state finals.
Norcross’ senior standout Nick Linder went on a miraculous run and scored six of the Blue Devils’ 12-7 win over Forsyth for Norcross water polo program’s fourth state championship and its first since 2015.
The second-half comback took some inspiration and a reiteration of the team’s message and strategy.
“Our team was just not in the mindset,” Linder said of Norcross’ demeanor at halftime. “A few of the teammates just told each other to calm down and breath. Telling each other this would be our last season to play water polo for Norcross, we combined our efforts and started to play our game.”
Norcross’ typically strong start was hindered by Forsyth, which had answered two early Norcross goals with three straight, leading into halftime. The training and conditioning from the offseason paid off for Norcross, which out-lasted the Forsyth club which was in its first-ever Division I championship game, after moving up to the highest division last year.
“It was just a big combined effort to manufacture goals any way we can to get the score close,” senior Sam Carton said. “We knew if we could make it to the third and fourth quarter still in it that we were confident we could still win the game.”
Norcross’ water polo team won three consecutive championships from 2013-15, but most players had just missed those glory years of dominance. That past success helped develop camaraderie in the Norcross water polo program. Players are dedicated to their teammates outside of the pool, and some have noticed that translate to consistent success in the water.
“I think we have something pretty special when everyone looks out for each other,” Carton said. “Whether it’s seniors looking out for the younger guys or just the friendship between teams. We think of it like a brotherhood, whether it’s every weekend watching film together. If you spend a lot of time outside the pool together, it really helps your chemistry inside the pool.”
The seeds of the undefeated 15-0 season were sewn after a loss in the 2017 finals. That desire for the Blue Devils to redeem themselves was a driving factor to Norcross’ recent success, according to players on the team. The Blue Devils returned an experienced bunch and the added motivation was pivotal to Norcross’ fast start to the 2018 season.
“We knew we had a strong team and knew if everybody played their game, we could definitely be a powerhouse,” Linder said. “Seeing how well we did last year, without the team gelling we had this year, we knew we could go pretty far this season.”
Norcross is well known for its feats in boys and girls basketball and football, to name a few, but its perennial strength in athletics extends to non-GHSA affiliated sports such as water polo, which is one of the deepest in not only the county but also the state. The Blue Devil’s water polo programs fields enough players for a “B” team made up of mostly middle schoolers and high school underclassmen, while the “A” team is led my mostly juniors and seniors.
The fluidity of that pipeline was evident as Norcross pursued its state championship ambitions this year.
“It was a lot of hard work, but we had a lot of fun watching film,” Carton said. “On Friday nights, we would have a light swim practice then hang out at the pool.”
Kyle Smith is in his second year as the Blue Devils’ coach. While the water polo regular season is short — the regular season starts in early August through Columbus Day weekend — the team practiced through the spring and summer twice per week.
Norcross sharpened its conditioning and fundamentals in the offseason, but a few Blue Devil players widened the talent gap between Norcross and its opponents.
Linder, a member of the Dynamo Junior Olympic team in Georgia, provided a consistent offensive force of reckoning. He traveled to the west coast to compete against clubs with nationwide origins, and the experience was eye-opening for him.
“It was a lot of fun playing against players that knew the game better than I did,” he said. “It was a challenge the whole entire time. Nothing came easy for us in California, and I think that helped my skills when I came back here to Georgia.”
Smith said, with an exception of two games, no single player scored more than one-third of Norcross’ goals in a single game.
“It really wasn’t one person,” Smith said. “In the starting lineup, I had six seniors and one junior. These six senior seniors had been playing together since they were freshmen.”
Several players on Norcross’ team are now preparing for the swimming and diving season. Meets will begin in late October.
While scholarship opportunities for water polo are scarce, both Linder and Carton expressed interest in continuing playing water polo in a club capacity in college.
“After a culmination of four years, it was really nice to finish off winning a ring,” Carton said. “I think, having lost last year, was a very important lesson for some of the guys on the team last year. It taught us to step up our game and all eyes were on the championship the entire way through the season.”
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