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Cathedral Catholic boys water polo made history Saturday, capturing the prestigious Elite 8 Tournament championship with a 12-9 victory over JSerra at Harvard-Westlake High School. The title marks the first time in the tournament’s history that a San Diego team has won the Elite 8, cementing the Dons among the nation’s elite programs.

The Elite 8, which began in 2016, is widely regarded as one of the country’s premier high school water polo tournaments, bringing together top teams from California and across the nation. Cathedral Catholic entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and finished the three-day gauntlet with a 3-0 record, defeating Sacred Heart Prep, No. 2 Miramonte and JSerra on the way to the championship.

The victory also pushed the Dons to 12-1 on the season and No. 1 in the nation according to MaxPreps.

Cathedral Catholic took control of the championship match with a balanced offensive attack and a strong defensive performance. Junior center Grayson Taylor led all scorers with four goals, consistently creating opportunities from two meters while drawing exclusions and a penalty. His physical presence became increasingly difficult for JSerra to contain as the match progressed.

“When you have a young man who is that big and that powerful, and has the hands, we got to do a good job of finding him,” Cathedral Catholic head coach Tommy Corcoran said. “Second half, we found him a little bit more.”

The Dons also received two goals from Max Bruhn, both coming on penalty shots, while Eamon Bruhn delivered one of the defining moments of the championship early in the match. With JSerra threatening to tie the game at 5-5 just before halftime, the Dons defense forced a missed shot on a 7-on-6 opportunity. Bruhn quickly gained possession and launched a full-court shot that found the back of the net as time expired, sending Cathedral Catholic into halftime with a 6-4 lead and plenty of momentum.

The Dons carried that momentum into the third quarter. After JSerra cut the deficit to 7-6, Cathedral Catholic answered with a four-goal run to seize control of the championship.

While the offense provided the firepower, the Dons’ defense and goaltending were equally important throughout the tournament. Senior goalkeeper Luke Anderson recorded 10 saves in the championship match, while Cathedral Catholic limited JSerra to just 4-for-12 shooting on the power play. The Dons also converted four of nine opportunities with the extra attacker.

JSerra made a late push, scoring three consecutive goals in the final two minutes to cut the deficit to 11-9, but Cathedral Catholic remained composed under pressure. The Dons closed out the championship with one final goal to secure the 12-9 victory and the historic tournament title.

The championship was an impressive response from a Cathedral Catholic team that entered the season facing the challenge of replacing UCLA-bound senior and national team player Jett Taylor, who is currently competing in Europe.

“A team full of warriors,” Corcoran said of his squad. “They step up. Testament to the boys.”

The Dons had already established themselves as one of the state’s top teams, highlighted by a third-place finish at the South Coast Tournament and a dramatic 16-15 victory over rival La Jolla earlier in the season. However, their Elite 8 run took the program to another level. Cathedral Catholic is now 12-1, the Elite 8 Tournament champion, and the No. 1-ranked team in the nation according to MaxPreps.

With the regular season still ahead, the Dons will look to build on their historic tournament run as they continue pursuing a CIF championship.