Could Class D1 Archbishop Bergan beat Class A #1 Papio? You might be surprised….
We are now a solid month into the 2019 high school volleyball season in Nebraska and it is shaping up to be one of the craziest and most wide-open seasons in a very, very long time. You might have read…
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Continue ReadingWe are now a solid month into the 2019 high school volleyball season in Nebraska and it is shaping up to be one of the craziest and most wide-open seasons in a very, very long time.
You might have read the headline to this story and scoffed at the notion that Archbishop Bergan – a tiny private school in Fremont – would actually stand a chance against the best team in the state – 17-0 Papillion-LaVista. And, to be clear, as much as I love my friends at Archbishop Bergan, Papillion-LaVista would win that match 99 times out of 100. Maybe even 999 out of 1,000.
But, I want you to follow along with me for just a couple minutes here, because by the end of this, you will see that the line between being the most dominant team in the state and Class D1 team being 10-6.
For years, I’ve shouted from as many rooftops as I could find that there are – annually – several Class C or D schools that could compete with the best teams in Class A. This season, St. Paul is legitimately a top-10 team in the state regardless of class. Wahoo – another Class C1 team – is a legitimate top 20 team and Diller-Odell – the top team in D1 – could beat half of the teams in Class A.
But, what we are finding this year is that no matter who you are, you can get beat on any given night by anyone. The kind of balance that has been growing across the state in terms of volleyball talent simply continues to grow. There have been seasons in the past when elite teams could simply show up knowing they were going to win a match. That’s not the case in 2019. Some major upsets this past weekend only hammered that point home even more.
Now, as a person who keeps a close on all scores from all classes, I’ve noticed something strange happening the first half of this year. It has become clear to me that this year, especially, the line between being successful and not being successful is as thin as it has been in at least the last decade.
How thin is that line? So thin that I’m going to now show you why Papillion-LaVista wouldn’t be able to take anything for granted against Archbishop Bergan if the two teams were to step on the court together this season.
Back on Sept. 7 of this season, Archbishop Bergan won a tight match against Lutheran High Northeast 27-25, 24-26, 25-19.
What does that have to do with Papio?
Well, you see, on Sept. 19 of this season, an undefeated Wayne team traveled to Norfolk where LHNE promptly swept them 25-19, 25-21, 25-16.
What does that have to do with Papio?
Well, you see, on Sept. 10 of this season, Wayne took a 21-25, 25-15, 26-24, 25-23 win over Columbus Scotus.
What does that have to do with Papio?
Well, you see, on Sept. 14 of this season, Columbus Scotus beat Norfolk 25-21, 25-21.
See where I’m going with this yet?
Also on Sept. 14 of this season, Norfolk beat Omaha Westside 25-8, 15-25, 25-17.
We’re getting closer.
On the opening weekend of the season at the Bellevue West Invitational, Omaha Westside defeated Bellevue West 25-18, 25-23.
On Sept. 10, Bellevue West didn’t quite beat Elkhorn South, but the T-birds had the second-best team in the state on the ropes before falling in five sets 25-10, 23-25, 24-26, 25-21, 15-9.
Who is the only team from Nebraska to beat Elkhorn South this year? Yep, Papillion-LaVista. I mean, who will ever forget that Sept. 12 match that Papillion-LaVista pulled out in five sets 23-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-22, 17-15.
So, what we have here is a lineage that has Archbishop Bergan beating a team that beat a team, etc., all the way up to a win over Bellevue West. The same Bellevue West team that pushed Elkhorn South to the brink in five sets and the Storm which had Papio beat but couldn’t put the Monarchs away.
Is that a stretch? Maybe.
Or, maybe it’s not.
Just a couple weekends ago, Bellevue West – the #10 in Class A – played Archbishop Bergan – the #5 team in Class D1 – with the Tbirds hanging on for a 25-17, 19-25, 25-22 victory. So, Bergan took Bellevue West to the brink. Bellevue West took Elkhorn South to the brink. Elkhorn South took Papio to the brink.
Again, Papio would beat Bergan 99 times out of 100. But, hey, The Annexation of Puerto Rico play (Little Giants movie reference) only has to work one time. What we are learning is that 2019 seems to be a season when those “1 in a …..” moments are more likely to happen than ever before.
The postseason officially begins five weeks from tonight. Buckle up, the next 35 days looks like it’s going to be a wild ride.