Cats sweep Cents for outright title
West Ranch starts slow, fixes mistakes and sweeps Saugus to claim outright Foothill crown
West Ranch boys volleyball’s run to a Foothill League title this season will be remembered as dominant.
But Thursday night’s win didn’t come easy.
To be named the outright league champion, the Wildcats had to overcome a slow start against Saugus at home.
West Ranch made 12 unforced errors in the first game, but improved in each game to sweep Saugus 25-20, 25-18, 25-14.
“I told them we just had to control our side,” said West Ranch head coach Nate Sparks, whose team had already claimed a share of the title on Tuesday. “(Saugus) will earn their points, but we can’t give them free points.”
Sparks credited outside hitter Corey Burrill as key to the Wildcats climbing out of a first and second game slump.
Burrill led the team with five kills in each of the first two games to alleviate the errors and push West Ranch to the win.
“After the first game, we had a discussion as a team without (coach), and we said we really had to focus on doing our part, not be selfish, do what’s best for the team and not go for that incredibly hard serve,” Burrill said. “We came in really excited to play. We knew we only needed to win one more to win the title, so we were all ready to play, and we knew we just had to take care of business.”
Burrill finished with 12 kills, one behind teammate Michael Flores’ game-high 13. Opposite and middle blocker Drew Sims had six aces and setter Ethan Marshall had 34 assists.
Saugus went on a 5-1 run in the first game to take an 8-7 lead, its first of the game. The teams traded back and forth, and the largest lead was only three points until West Ranch pulled away for a five-point win.
“What we talked about during the week was, (against) a team like this, we hope to catch them at a down moment,” said Saugus head coach Barry Nua. “But we just didn’t play well. We didn’t rise to the occasion. The opportunity was there. We just didn’t answer it.”
The teams went back and forth again in the beginning of the second game, but West Ranch went on an 8-2 run en route to a 2- 0 games lead. West Ranch’s early 8-1 run in the third game helped it complete the sweep comfortably.
“It’s a good team, and you can’t afford to play like we played and hope to have a chance against a team like this,” Nua said.
Sam Safley led the Centurions with nine kills, while Dustin Roberts had seven kills and three blocks.
Valencia 3, Canyon 0
The Vikings swept the Cowboys at home by scores of 25-19, 25-14 and 25-10.
Andrew Johnson led the way with 13 kills for Valencia (13-16, 7-2), while Michael Trunzo led the team with 24 assists. Sawyer Burke added eight kills and Bryce Braueisen had five for the Vikings.
Cowboy Regan Marsh had nine kills, and Jacob Frederick had 25 assists for Canyon, which is now 12-13 overall and 4-5 in league.
Golden Valley 3,
Hart 2
The Grizzlies prevailed in five sets by scores of 25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 1625, 15- 8.
Justin Gee led the Grizzlies with 19 kills, while Kyle Shnyder had 10 and Sam Frost had nine to boost Golden Valley to 10-8 overall and 3- 6 in league.
David Nims and Kevin Clauss both had four aces for Hart (0-14-1, 0-9), while Dylan Lange led the Indians with 10 kills. Ethan Wellins was right behind with nine.