The Cerritos College men’s water polo team had one of the most successful seasons in its history, finishing with a record of 28-11, and placing first in the South Coast Conference Championship, second in Southern California, and third in the state.

The Cerritos College men’s water polo team had to settle for third place after coming up short against Diablo Valley College in the semifinals of the state championship, losing 18-8.

It was the first time since 2005 that Cerritos College had reached the state championship.

The Falcons captured their first SCC title since 2004 when they defeated Long Beach City College on Nov. 8.

While the Falcons fell short of the state championship, head coach Joe Abing feels that the season was a successful one.

“I feel great about our season. It was one of the most successful seasons we have had in the program’s history,” Abing said.

He added, “This team worked very hard. They earned all of their success with a major time commitment to getting better. I am satisfied with the outcome. I feel everyone gave their best effort.”

Although Abing feels that it was a successful season, freshman and two-meter defender Kevin Cordova admits that teamwork might’ve been an issue early on.

“We needed to start working together against stronger opponents and after that we became better,” Cordova said.

With all the accomplishments this season, Cordova still feels they should have won the state championship.

“I think we could have won state (championship) but things started to fall apart in that semifinal game, which resulted in our third place at state,” he added.

Coach Abing does note that eight members of the team will be graduating, which could change things for next fall.

“Every year is different because you have new players. Once we know who our team will be, we will determine what changes we would need to make.”