Falitz Sets Water Polo Record

Once Jason Falitz got the green light, he wasn’t about to stop.

With the blessing of his coach and the cooperation of his teammates, Falitz scored a state-record 26 goals to lead Burbank Burroughs High to a 38-1 victory over Burbank in an Almont League water polo game Friday at Burroughs.

Falitz, a senior who scored 195 goals last season--the third-highest season total in state history--eclipsed the previous record of 24 goals in a game set by Kevin Parkes of Colton in 1979 against Palm Springs.

The National Federation of State High School Assns. does not keep national records for water polo.

“Since last year, I’ve been looking forward to getting a chance to break this record,” said Falitz, who has 170 goals this season for Burroughs (19-3, 3-0 in league play).

Burroughs Coach Rey Rivera said he decided before the game to allow Falitz to go for the record.

“We had a team meeting and we talked about getting him the record, and we decided to give it a shot,” Rivera said.

Falitz, who had seven goals in the first five minutes and 10 after the first quarter, broke the state record in the third quarter with his 25th goal, giving the Indians a 29-0 lead over Burbank 2-16, 0-3). He scored his last goal with 1:01 to play.