Screams and cheers echo throughout the towering ceilings of the Josh Davis Natatorium.

Senior Owen Kroh finesses his way into scoring a goal, putting the Marauders Water Polo Team up by two in the state championship.

Their opponents, Boerne Champion, came into the game with a 25-3 record and had won 11 games straight. 

But the scoring onslaught by the Marauders continued to 15. 

Despite their lead, Kroh and his teammates refused to take their foot off the gas, every second of the game being played like their lives depended on it. 

“We were all super anxious and stressed. We felt like we couldn’t slow down,” Kroh said. “The adrenaline during that game was actually ridiculous.”

***

The game would end in a 25-12 rout for the Marauders — a fitting end to a dominant season for Kroh that would earn him all district honors.

On the long bus ride home from San Antonio the reality of being a state champion set in, all the hours spent in the pool practicing, weight training, and training with his teammates came to fruition. This dominance wasn’t by accident for Kroh though as water polo was practically infused with his DNA.

Growing up in California, Kroh was surrounded by the sport. His family was flooded with water polo players as his grandfather, aunt, and father all played. His father also coached for the local high school team. Early on Kroh’s dad would occasionally let Owen get in the pool and compete with the high school players. During these early years Kroh would unlock his true love for the game.

Kroh would eventually move to Texas, a state known more for football than water polo, when he was nine. Despite the moving states, water polo remained a vital aspect of Owen’s life. Kroh continued to stay involved in water polo leading up to high school, playing for his club team improving every year. 

Entering his freshman year at Marcus, Kroh made the varsity roster. While being put on varsity immediately was definitely a relief for Kroh, it also came with the anxiety of fitting in with his new teammates, many of whom were older. These fears quickly faded though as he was quickly welcomed to the team with open arms. 

“I kind of clicked with the guys and they made me feel welcomed,” Kroh said. “I got invited to hangout with them a lot out of practice. The guys did a great job at making me feel welcomed.”

During his freshman season Kroh was dwarfed by his opponents and teammates in the pool, his style of play had to account for his stature. Instead of going head to head with larger players in the pool, Kroh acted as a pool general telling teammates where to go and dishing out assists to open teammates. 

As Kroh’s time in the program continued he put on size allowing him to improve on other parts of his game such as his defense attacking on offense. These improvements to his game have allowed Kroh to open up his game more, making him a staple as the team’s main ball handler.

“Right now I’d say I’m more of a controller,” Kroh said. “I help people find where they need to be on offense and defense. I set up plays so that I can help people shine.”

Much of Kroh’s individual success can be attributed to his IQ for the game. Due to Kroh’s experience playing water polo since he was young his feel and knowledge of the game exceeds that of many of his opponents. This allows for Kroh to quickly exploit breakdowns in opponents defenses and find open lanes for him and his teammates to score.

“My favorite part of coaching him is his ability for him to read what’s going on,” head water polo coach, Brandon Dion said. “It’s like he’s playing chess while everyone else in the pool is playing checkers.”

Kroh’s skill at waterpolo doesn’t just allow him to succeed for the school team, it has also opened up opportunities to travel the country and play with his select club. This past year, he and his team competed at the junior olympics and placed 16th after falling to Stanford’s water polo club. 

“That was a big achievement for the team,” Kroh said. “A lot of teams underestimate us because of where we’re from. But, we go out there and we smash teams and we put up close numbers with some of the best teams in the country.”

Kroh’s performances at these tournaments along with school games has helped garner the attention of college scouts. While Kroh doesn’t know where he will play in college yet he does know that he wants waterpolo to remain in his life for as long as possible.

Coming into his senior season Kroh was named one of the team’s captains. As a captain Owen not only takes on the responsibility of maintaining a winning culture but also the responsibility of leading his younger teammates the same way he was when he first entered the program. Owen’s main goal as a captain is straightforward though. Bring home another state championship.

“We haven’t lost a single game this year, and we don’t plan on losing any,” Kroh said. “I’m looking forward to maintaining the title and proving to everyone that last year wasn’t just luck.”