Get to know members and coaches of Hebron HS water polo program
CARROLLTON, Texas — Incorporating elements of soccer, hockey, basketball and football, but played uniquely in swimming pools, water polo has entered the North Texas sporting landscape like a tsunami.
After decades of play as a high school club sport, water polo made its debut as an official varsity high school sport in Texas this fall after obtaining approval from the University Interscholastic League (UIL) three years ago.
This fall, nearly 200 high schools in Texas competed in UIL water polo, including 30 schools throughout the Metroplex.
While Plano senior high schools didn’t compete this season, male and female student athletes in Carrollton, Denton, Flower Mound, Garland, Lewisville and Southlake among others dove into the fast-growing sport that’s poised for rising popularity.
Coach Donzie Lilly, 27, who goes by “Coach Donzie” serves as the varsity water polo coach at Hebron High School that includes Plano students who live in Denton County, swam for Hebron as a student from 2009 to 2013.
After graduation, he went on to play collegiate water polo at SMU and graduated in 2017 with an economics degree. With degree in hand, he began coaching for the Mavericks Water Polo Club in 2019 and joined Hebron as the assistant swim coach before assuming the head coaching role in 2020.
Based on the sport’s rising popularity at the middle school level, Coach Donzie says the pipeline of future water polo athletes is already underway.
“I already know most, if not all of my players for the next five years based on activity from our feeder schools,” he says poolside with pride while reflecting on the outstanding facilities his student athletes have to practice and play.
A Bright Future For An Emerging Sport
“I’m extremely blessed. I’ve got 20 swim lanes of water for one team (the Lewisville ISD East Aquatic Center in The Colony often serves as host to games of schools in other districts),” says Coach Donzie. “Some cities have 13 teams using two pools, and here, we have a great weight room and a lot of deck space inside our tremendous aquatic center.”
The Hebron water polo community began with 35 athletes and has quickly risen to 55.
Trust and respect among his athletes are virtues that Coach Donzie says students who play for him will cultivate.
“We trust on offense; we respect on defense; and when we go into the water we are prepared to battle,” he said.
Junior Kathryn Peterman of Plano can’t wait to play on the team her senior year. Having transferred to Hebron from John Paul II High School, she must sit out one season before being eligible to play on the team.
After her family relocated to Texas from California, she continued playing water polo on the Mavericks Water Polo Club team
“Water polo creates a good sense of community,” says Peterman. “Water polo is intense, fast paced and super fun. We’re very bonded as a team and I’d love to take water polo to the collegiate level because it’s something I love so much.
“It gives you a sense of power because it’s a strong sport,” she adds. “We have a super tight-nit community and it’s a great way for parents and student athletes to become friends.”
Sport Teaches Dedication and Responsibility
Hebron assistant water polo coach Sarah Carlile, a triplet, played water polo at Denton Ryan High School and on club teams and loves investing in her athletes where she helps cultivate dedication and responsibility.
A mother of three young children, Coach Carlile sees a great future for water polo in North Texas thanks much in part to USA Water Polo and the support of parents.
“The sport has gained great awareness within our school administration and families and that will help water polo grow tremendously,” she says.
Hebron boy’s varsity captain, Jake Foughty, plans to play water polo in college at the University of Iowa.
He’s embraced his time as the team captain and sought to be a good leader to the younger members of the team.
“I’ve tried to set a good example in the water and in the weight room by not slacking off. The same goes for when I’m out of the water and in the classroom or in the community because I represent Hebron High School,” he says.
Foughty, who first became interested in water polo while watching the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, liked how the sport encompassed aspects of other spots he knew well.
Known for his 360-degree helicopter shot in which he spins around and shoots, Foughty likes the flashiness of the game. He also likes the strategic passing that differentiates good teams from others.
“My most favorite part of the sport is the team aspect,” he says. “A lot of people are starting to join the sport because they were swimmers. But water polo is a team sport so communication in the water is key.
“When you communicate a lot in the pool, your team will have more success because you all know what one another is doing,” he adds.
“It’s a really fun sport and I encourage others to try out for the team. It’s a muscle game that requires good conditioning. It takes effort and communication, and you’ll learn a lot of things in and out of the water that help you in life.”
With a number of relatives in Iowa, he looks forward to the opportunity to play in front of family in college. As an Iowa Hawkeye, he plans to pursue a business management degree with a minor in sports and recreation management. And after college?
“I found so much joy in playing the game of water polo, so coaching could be in the future.”
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