The @jserra_boys_water_polo team came up just short in its quest for a tournament on Saturday, as the Lions fell to the Cathedral Catholic Dons by a score of 12-9 in the championship game of the Elite 8 Tournament at Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City.

The Lions are now 12-2 on the season.

Sophomore Christopher Koo, junior Cal Ulicny, junior Lars Knepper, and junior Ronan Keane each produced individual goals in the first half, which concluded with the Dons holding a 6-4 lead.

Ulicny assisted sophomore Sasha Bjelica’s lone goal of the contest a minute into the third period before adding his second scoring strike with 4:48 left in the period to trim Cathedral Catholic’s lead to 7-6.

But the Dons responded by scoring the next four goals bridging the end the third period and into the fourth period, with the final goal in that spurt putting them ahead 11-6 with 2:50 remaining.

JSerra put forth one final surge in the closing minutes of the game.

Junior Dylan Park produced back-to-back goals, with Knepper adding his second score of the game to cut the Lions deficit to 11-9 with 56 seconds remaining.

But the Dons added the game’s final goal with 19 seconds left to thwart the Lions final comeback bid and earn the tournament title. ...

The @jserra.tfxc Girls Cross Country team stepped onto a national stage across the country on Saturday and produced a stirring comeback victory to claim the team championship at the Great American XC Festival at WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

JSerra enjoyed a strong start in the first mile, as their scoring cluster forged a 60-point advantage after the first mile.

William Penn Charter High of Pennsylvania surged past the Lions in the second mile and held a 28-point lead with a half mile to go in the 3.1 mile competition.

But JSerra responded with a wave of fortitude as the race neared its conclusion.

Senior Reese Holley fronted the effort, as she sprinted across the finish line in ninth place, clocking a new school record time of 17:27.5.

Sophomore Maya Pawlowicz was next to step across the finish line, placing 17th overall in 17:46.2.

Senior Hutton Nelligan moved up six places inside the final mile and finished in a time of 18:17.8.

Junior Kaia Streadbeck (18:55.1) and sophomore Brooklyn Tennant (19:06.5) capped the Lions scoring quintet, with junior Talia Whitten (19:24.4) and senior Hayden Kroger (19:35.9) completing the team’s collective run.

JSerra’s late race burst resulted in a 19-point triumph over William Penn Charter (164-183).

The Lions also placed fourth overall in the Invitational Blue race.

Freshman Emrei Williams was the leading catalyst for the Lions, as she placed 14th overall in a time of 19:09.

Sophomores Colbi Lott (19:27) and Sierra Harden (19:47.3) were also amongst the top 50 overall in the race.

Freshman Morgan White (20:14.7) and Sophie Tonks (20:58.2) completed the scoring effort. ...