And the legacy continues. The Rio girls varsity water polo team won the Division II section title for the eighth consecutive time in a close game against Granite Bay.

"There was so much pressure," junior starter Maddie Brown said. Continuing the winning streak "was the most nerve-racking part for me. I was afraid of letting down our seniors."

The team, however, lived up to everyone’s high expectations.

They easily beat Whitney in the first round 10-2, and continued on to defeat Ponderosa in a closer game with a final score of 9-5. Junior Natalie Halvorson, with a total of three goals, helped lead the team to the championship game.

Granite Bay was then the only team that stood between Rio and the section title. During the regular season, Rio crushed Granite Bay 12-5, which gave all the girls confidence that they would win.

"Going into the game I was pretty nervous," Brown said. "But I knew we had played them before and won, so I wasn’t too worried."

However, at the end of the first quarter in the championship game, Rio was down 2-0.

"(Granite Bay) was playing a lot better than they had before, since they knew our strategies," junior Vicky Gyorffy said. "I was getting kind of worried, and I knew that we had to pull ourselves together."

The team made a quick comeback, gaining a tied score of 2-2 by halftime. They stayed in the lead from that point on.

With a final score of 6-4, the team proved once again that they are the best team in their division.

"In previous years, Rio has had great teams," Halvorsen said, "and we knew that if we worked hard we would get to sections and win it again."

Since the beginning of the season, the entire team has had their eyes on the ultimate prize: winning the section title.

"I am very proud of this team," Coach Rafael Ruano said. "They made a significant commitment of time and effort, and it was great to see the team put it together at sections."

For the four seniors on the team, it was an unforgettable way to end their final season playing for Rio.

"This was the best section win for me," senior starter Cailin Jope said. "I’ve been on varsity for four years, so I’m really close to all the girls and I believe the remaining girls will be able to win the ninth section next year."