Upper Arlington's boys water polo team won the 2026 Ohio state championship Saturday, Oct. 31, beating St. Xavier at Sycamore High School in Cincinnati.
The final score was reported differently by outlets covering the game. Cincinnati Enquirer assistant sports editor Melanie Laughman wrote on X that St. Xavier fell 14-7 to Upper Arlington. Upper Arlington won 11-6, according to the Dispatch’s game recap.
Either way, the Golden Bears are state champions.
Four seniors drove the title run. Brant Berg, James Berg, Danny Ray and Sammy DaJusta grew up swimming together and endured three straight state runner-up finishes before breaking through, according to CincyCartoons/Cincinnati Sports on X.
Brant Berg, who was quoted as a junior in a Nov. 30, 2025 Arlingtonian feature on the team's community service, said then that the program emphasizes more than pool time. "Our coach is a big believer in community service," Berg said in that article. The team has volunteered at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank and the Ronald McDonald House.
Enquirer photographer Geoff Blankenship confirmed the title on X, congratulating the Golden Bears on claiming the 2026 Ohio High School Boys Water Polo state championship.
The program's official account, @GoldenBearsPolo, retweeted Blankenship's post. The account's bio lists nine prior state titles, though that count could not be independently verified against OHSAA records.
Upper Arlington High School's athletics program includes 33 varsity sports and 151 state championships across all sports, according to the Arlingtonian.
