The Cottage Grove Water Polo teams played their first home games of the season against the Willamette Wolverines on Tuesday, Oct. 18. The Warren H. Daugherty Aquatic Center in Cottage Grove had been dealing with water temperature issues in the pool most of the season, so the center was finally open for action in time for the water polo teams’ senior night.

The Aqua Lions girls team played first, winning 7-5. The boys team played immediately after, and while they kept it close, they ultimately lost 7-6.

“Right now, it looks like our girls are going to be going to the playoffs. Our boys need to win one more league game in order to qualify for the playoffs at state,” Lions Coach Tyson Pilling said. “We had a lot of growth through the season and we are on the right track. It was fun to play Willamette, who is a 6A school. They were both competitive and fun games.”

The playoff will likely be held in Corvallis or Newberg, but how the bracket plays out will be determined based on how the Aqua Lions last league games go.