Cuesta Men's Water Polo earned its 42nd consecutive playoff berth as the #4-seed in the 2021 Southern California Regional Playoffs but were not able to advance any further.  The Cougars opened their playoff weekend in Chula Vista against #5-seed Orange Coast on Friday, but in what became a theme for the weekend, the Cougars struggled against a team they had previously bested.  The Cougars beat the Pirates, 12-9, in mid-September, but, on Friday, the Bucs pushed Cuesta to the final buzzer before falling, 8-7.  The Cougars faced #1-seed Golden West in the next round with a CCCAA State Final Four berth on the line.  The Cougars and Rustlers split their first two meetings, with each victor enjoying a multi-goal win.  Cuesta's mid-season win over the Rustlers was the top-ranked team's lone loss to a CCCAA team this year and Golden West won the rubber-match decisively, 18-7.  The setback denied the Cougars their first trip to the State Tournament since 2007, but they still had to play the CCCAA Regional Third Place game against #7-seed Grossmont.  Cuesta had beaten, 16-9, in their first meeting, however the Griffins were able to grab the Bronze by defeating Cuesta, 8-7, for 3rd place.  The loss concluded the Cougars' 2021 campaign and they ended the season 28-8 on the year.