Hale Is Large Part of Reign at Wilson

Thomas Hale pumped his fist just as the sound of the ball hitting the back of the goal echoed throughout the crowded arena.

The Long Beach Wilson boys’ water polo team was minutes away from its second consecutive Southern Section Division I title, and Hale was caught in a rare moment of elation.

But the response wasn’t triggered by one of his four goals in the 14-11 victory over Corona del Mar, but rather by one of his five assists.

“A lot of times, I won’t even know how many goals I’ve scored,” said Hale, The Times’ boys’ water polo player of the year. “But the assists? I love seeing one of my passes go just out of reach of [an opposing] player’s arms.”

Hale’s pinpoint accuracy was one reason the Bruins finished undefeated this season and won their sixth section title in seven years.

He was adept at lofting a pass to a well-guarded two-meter player or crossing the ball to a driver on the opposite side, leaving the goalkeeper out of position.

Hale, a left-hander, was second on the team in scoring with 74 goals, mostly coming from the perimeter. In a section semifinal victory over Lake Forest El Toro, Hale scored six goals, his final tally breaking a 9-9 tie in the fourth quarter.

“When he gets open, he doesn’t miss,” Coach Tony Martinho said.

His defense was crucial late in games, when Martinho often asked him to guard the opposition’s biggest scoring threat. In the section final, he managed to slow Corona del Mar’s John Mann, who still finished with eight goals.

Hale’s speed and awareness also made him one of the Southland’s most effective players on the counterattack, whether finishing off the play with a goal or passing it to a teammate for a better shot.

Even when it came to setting up the offense, Hale was in control.

“He was like a quarterback who had to hold on to the ball while everyone was coming after him,” Martinho said. “Then he had to make a smart, accurate pass.”

Hale is the only three-year starter on Wilson’s senior-laden team this season. Coaches voted him player of the year in Division I.

Hale has been a member of the junior national men’s water polo team since the spring and currently splits training between the senior national team at its facility at the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Center and the Wilson swim team.

“He has a lot of upside,” Martinho said.

Hale has yet to make a decision as to which college to attend, but he knows his high school playing days are over.

Last week at Wilson’s team banquet, a celebration for the six senior starters who had played together since grade school, Hale suddenly remembered a conversation he had with a former teammate.

“He was saying how it won’t even hit you until you go back to see a game,” Hale said. “But as soon as I got to the banquet it hit me. I said, ‘Dude, it’s over.’ ”