The Boca Raton High School boys’ water polo team continues to make a splash in the pool, as they march to what they hope will be the school’s first water polo championship — for either boys or girls.
The host Bobcats (21-3-1) defeated 2022 state runner-up Dr. Phillips 23-12 in the regional semifinal game on April 4. Dr. Phillips had suffered its lone loss in 31 matches last year to Belen Jesuit 17-13 in the state finals.
Senior Greg Nordheim and junior Max Zelikov helped carry the Bobcats to the win against Dr. Phillips. Zelikov scored 12 goals, and added six steals, while Nordheim filled the box score with five goals, three assists, seven steals, two penalties drawn, and two ejections drawn in the win over the Panthers.
Boca Raton water polo coach Kurt Predmore is guiding both the boys’ and girls’ teams this season, after previously coaching the girls. Last year’s boys’ coach Jorge Montero stepped down before this season. The Bobcats were 12-10 last year.
“I don’t want to sound pretentious, but I thought we would do this well,” said Predmore, who has coached the girls since 2019. Prior to that, he coached at nearby St. Andrew’s School. “We have two players on the team who are national team-level players. Greg [Nordheim] just signed with Bucknell, so he is playing at a high level, and Max [Zelikov] also plays at a high level.
“So, with those two guys coming to practice and coaching the other guys in practice, it brings us up a level,” Predmore said. “I did expect us to play well and after this game, we are in it to win it.”
Boca Raton’s boys’ team is hoping to surpass its previous best finish as a state semifinalist, which came in 2018 before losing to Olympia. The Boca Raton girls’ team, who lost to Lake Nona in the state semifinals last season, lost in the regionals semifinals 11-6 this year.
“Max is our leading scorer, and Greg is our leading defender,” said Predmore, adding that Nordheim has stepped up more offensively this year.
“This year, I really wanted to focus on my offense,” said Nordheim, who has a team-leading 104 goals. “I know my defense is solid. I know I can cover kids and direct my defense the way I want it.
“I wanted to focus a little more on offense to give Max a little bit of relief there,” he added. “I think our team has come together really well to make a good offense, and everyone is pitching in. It makes for a great team dynamic as well.”
Nordheim, 18, who had a stellar swimming season for the Bobcats in the fall where he finished fourth at state in the 50-free (school record-holder) and runner-up in the 100 free, was also a member of the two-time state champion (2021, 2022) 200-yard free relay.
“I would be pretty excited to make the podium in water polo as well,” Nordheim said. “To top off swimming with water polo, they go hand in hand, it’s something that I would aspire to do.”
Max Zelikov, 17, who has scored 100 goals this season, said it was a big change this season because his father, Eugene Zelikov, came in as assistant coach to help out since Predmore is pulling double duty coaching both the boys’ and girls’ teams. The girls fell to Lake Nona in the regional semifinal 11-6.
“It’s been different,” Max Zelikov said. “I love working with my dad, and the team loves it. We definitely came with a different outlook for this year … Right now, we all have one goal in mind and that is to win the state championship, and I am glad to see that.”
Predmore, Nordheim added, has “been able to bring in Eugene [Zelikov], our assistant coach, and he has been really helpful as well. I know that in the past, Boca High hasn’t really made that much of a state presence but maybe we can change that this year.”
Having many of the state’s top teams in the South Florida area is helpful, Predmore said.
“Fortunately, we have some of those teams fairly close, so we are able to see what they are like,” he said. “St. Thomas Aquinas is always good and then you have [state champion] Belen Jesuit, Ransom Everglades and Gulliver Prep. We play West Orange, and they are a good team.”
Boca Raton will host West Orange (Winter Garden) in the regional final on Tuesday. The Warriors (20-4) handed Boca Raton one of its three losses (14-10) on March 3.
