Upper Perkiomen's boys water polo team returned to the Small School State Championship Tournament over the weekend without the title it was seeking.

            The Indians dropped both its games during the tourney Saturday, Oct. 26 at

Trevor Cairns rises out of the water to take a shot during the Small School State Tournament.  Kaymen Heater for Town and Country

Springfield (Montco.) High School and finished fourth.

            In the semifinal game, the Indians lost 13-12 to Muhlenberg. The Muhls – who lost twice in the series during the regular season – rallied from a 9-6 deficit in the fourth quarter. 

            "The guys were disappointed," head coach Brien Kalnoski said.

            The loss prevented the Tribe to from returning to the championship game. Last season, the team lost Springfield in the title game.

            Kalnoski described the semifinal loss as heartbreaking. He said the Indians made some critical errors in the fourth quarter.

            "For whatever reason, out shooting dried up," the coach said.

            In the consolation game, Upper Merion defeated the Tribe 12-5. An injury to junior Colin Henry during the Muhlenberg game forced Kalnoski to utilize regular goalkeeper Zachary Fetchen in the field. Fetchen even scored a goal, but it wasn't enough to help his team secure third place.

            The Indians (16-7) met the lofty expectations they set in large measure, according to Kalnoski. In an email received Monday, he wrote that the unit posted program bests in overall victories, an Eastern Conference record of 7-1 and captured a Beast of the East Tournament flight championship.

            A trio of seniors – Fetchen, Joe McGillen, and Trevor Cairns – played their final games for the program. Cairns was named to the Eastern Conference second team and the All-State third team. Fetchen earned Eastern Conference third team honors.

            Cairns finished the season with a team-high 145 goals, including nine in the semifinal loss.  He utilizes great pool awareness and solid technical skills, according to the coach.

            "When he's on, Trevor is a heck of a shooter," Kalnoski said. "He's big enough that not a lot of people can muscle him. He's going to be hard to replace. If we're going to win next year, everyone is going to have to step up and become shooters."