Boys State Finals Preview
As the 2020-21 season comes to an end, the Central Region will remain champions for boys volleyball with all 6 finalists being Central Region teams. After a period of beach dominance, the Central Region has owned all the hardware recently.…
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Continue ReadingAs the 2020-21 season comes to an end, the Central Region will remain champions for boys volleyball with all 6 finalists being Central Region teams. After a period of beach dominance, the Central Region has owned all the hardware recently. The high school season has been one unlike any other we’ve had before and hopefully unlike any we will have again with the trials and tribulations. All the teams that played this season are champions of perseverance and overcoming obstacles but the select few will be named State Champions. The three reigning champions are still in the mix in James River (Class 6), Deep Run (Class 5), and Patrick Henry-Ashland (Class 4) are all back for a repeat opportunity. In Class 4, which includes class 1, 2 and 3 as well for Boys because of the few numbers of teams, Maggie Walker is back in the finals facing their former coach who took the reigns at Patrick Henry. Connor Dixon’s first season has set a high bar. Glen Allen lost in 5 in 2019 but comes in this season as the top seed in Class 5 to take on rival Deep Run. James River remains the team to beat and will take on Thomas Dale in a rematch of the 2018 final, won by the Rapids 3 sets to 1. Patrick Henry is looking for a 5th consecutive championship, Deep Run, their fourth in a row and James River a three-peat.
Patrick Henry swept Great Bridge, with Maggie Walker sweeping Denbigh in the State Semifinals, setting up a rematch of the Regional finals. A balanced team effort from Maggie Walker will be a great challenge for their match-up with Setter Charlie Unice running the offense against the defense of Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry has a lot of firepower with Outside Hitters Cameron Miller and junior Davis Luck. The Dragons of Maggie Walker will rely on Junior Outside Hitter Matteo DeLuca and a solid net performance from Middles Reed Bonkovsky and Stamate Theofanos.
Glen Allen had a hard fought match against Gloucester who had a roster of 7 players, 3 of whom never played before this season. All State Attacker Jack Sandahl of Gloucester showed what a dominant player he was along with solid performances from Setter Quinn Estlack, Attacker Jack Rogan and newcomer Middle Connor Brooks. Deep Run swept Cox who struggled with service errors and finding their flow all evening. With high level college recruits Daniel Hurley and Chris Peters, Cox started the season and maintained the #1 ranking among Beach Teams. The youthful experience from Deep Run and minimizing errors made the difference in the match to set up a fouth meeting between the west end rivals, with Deep Run having won both regular season meetings but losing to Glen Allen in the Regional Finals. Coach Kevin Hoy would love to close out the season with his first state championship.
James River swept Oscar Smith to earn a rematch against Thomas Dale Knights who will be a great challenge for the Rapids. Setter Connor Pinney, Middle Hitter Cole Grubbs, and Opposite Drew Barfield will be major contributors for the Rapids race for states. Outside Hitter Deklan Wingo and the Knights were able to get past Grassfield 3-1 in the other semifinal. The Knights have great ball control and solid fundamentals which could challenges the size and athleticism of James River.
State Finals Schedule
Maggie Walker at Patrick Henry at 6 p.m. Friday in Class 4; Deep Run at Glen Allen at 6 p.m. Friday in Class 5; and Thomas Dale at James River at 2 p.m. Saturday in Class 6.