The Hoover High School boys’ water polo team delivered a thrilling performance against the Elsinore Tigers in a CIF Southern Section Division 3 first-round playoff matchup that had fans holding their breath until the final whistle.

In an intense back-and-forth battle, the Tornados secured a dramatic 9–8 victory to advance to the next round.

Hoover’s starting lineup included David Tarakhchyan, Armen Tarakhchyan, Arthur Tarakhchyan, David Kirakosyan, Harutyun Khachatryan, Tigran Gharibyan, and goalie Lucas Karakhanyan.

The Tornados wasted no time setting the tone.

Senior captain David Tarakhchyan opened the scoring, followed by a powerful 7-meter foul shot from junior Khachatryan.

The teams traded goals as Gharibyan kept Hoover in the game with a quick catch-and-shoot finish.

Kirakosyan, a junior, added a counterattack goal, and senior captain Arthur Tarakhchyan scored from the post to keep the Tornados rolling.

Armen Tarakhchyan contributed from center, and David Tarakhchyan later drilled a five-meter penalty skip shot to tie the game 8–8 in the final minute.

With the score even, Hoover leaned on its defense.

Sophomore goalie Andranik Mnatsakanyan came up with a crucial save to keep the Tigers from taking the lead.

With 42 seconds remaining, head coach Levon Harutyunyan called a timeout to draw up a final play.

The Tornados executed perfectly.

As the shot clock wound down, David Tarakhchyan held the ball in the corner and found his brother Armen, who fired a powerful shot into the net with just 13 seconds left, and just 0.2 left on the shot clock, giving Hoover a 9–8 lead.

Elsinore used its final timeout to set up a last-chance play, but Hoover’s defense shut the Tigers down.

Captain David Tarakhchyan sealed the win by stealing the ball, sending the Tornados and their supporters into celebration after an unforgettable finish.

Hoover will next play Santa Barbara in Tuesday’s second round.