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Vail Cienega took about an hour to dismantle Chandler Arizona College Prep in three sets for the 5A boys volleyball title at Mesa Skyline on Saturday, May 16.
The Bobcats didn't want to waste another minute, because nine seniors needed to get back home and get ready for the school's graduation ceremonies that night. The school is located about 20 miles southeast of Tucson off Interstate 10.
"We were like, we'll stay here as long as we can to win a state championship," said 6-foot-4 senior setter Caiden Mott, who was named the Most Valuable Player. "But we go to graduation after this. We're just super excited."
Moss was a force at the net with multiple blocks.
Junior Chase Briggs wanted to make sure the seniors were in a good frame of mind for their graduation.
He contributed with strong play around the net, putting away three points with kills in a 25-16 first-set win. Cienega won the next two sets 25-9, 25-21.
"We just went one ball at a time," Briggs said.
Coach Heather Mott said there was no MVP on her team because so many players contributed.
This was payback for the Bobcats, who were eliminated from the tournament last year in the semifinals by Arizona College Prep.
"There are numbers on the backs of their shirts, and those numbers represented that loss," Mott said. "These kids got together the next week, and said, 'That won't happen to us again.' Our mantra was, 'Buzzsaw.' Every team that went up against us are going to feel like they ran into a buzzsaw.
"These kids worked their tails off. There was never one controversy. These kids played together. They went to lunch together. Everything was together."
In what ended up being the longest championship match of the day, ALA Queek Creek beat rival ALA Gilbert North in five sets, after losing the first two by scores of 25-19 and 31-29. ALA Queen Creek won the next three sets, 26-24, 25-21, 16-14.
Jonathan Reheis continued to be a force at the net. He came into the match with 308 kills. He was named the Most Valuable Player.
Britt DeWitt, quarterback on the football team, finally ended the match with a kill.
It was the ALA Queen Creek's fourth state title and second in a row.
Phoenix Northwest Christian won its second straight 3A state title, beating American Leadership West Foothills, 21-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-15.
Gavin Helmer was named the MVP. Northwest Christian beat the same school last year in the final in five sets.
The Crusaders were state runner-up in 2024, 2023 and 2021.
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. Please sign up for Azcentral Preps Now newsletter. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cienega, ALA QC, Northwest Christian take volleyball titles
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The Bobcats didn't want to waste another minute, because nine seniors needed to get back home and get ready for the school's graduation ceremonies that night. The school is located about 20 miles southeast of Tucson off Interstate 10.
"We were like, we'll stay here as long as we can to win a state championship," said 6-foot-4 senior setter Caiden Mott, who was named the Most Valuable Player. "But we go to graduation after this. We're just super excited."
Moss was a force at the net with multiple blocks.
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Junior Chase Briggs wanted to make sure the seniors were in a good frame of mind for their graduation.
He contributed with strong play around the net, putting away three points with kills in a 25-16 first-set win. Cienega won the next two sets 25-9, 25-21.
"We just went one ball at a time," Briggs said.
Coach Heather Mott said there was no MVP on her team because so many players contributed.
This was payback for the Bobcats, who were eliminated from the tournament last year in the semifinals by Arizona College Prep.
"There are numbers on the backs of their shirts, and those numbers represented that loss," Mott said. "These kids got together the next week, and said, 'That won't happen to us again.' Our mantra was, 'Buzzsaw.' Every team that went up against us are going to feel like they ran into a buzzsaw.
"These kids worked their tails off. There was never one controversy. These kids played together. They went to lunch together. Everything was together."
ALA Queen Creek takes 4A championship
In what ended up being the longest championship match of the day, ALA Queek Creek beat rival ALA Gilbert North in five sets, after losing the first two by scores of 25-19 and 31-29. ALA Queen Creek won the next three sets, 26-24, 25-21, 16-14.
Jonathan Reheis continued to be a force at the net. He came into the match with 308 kills. He was named the Most Valuable Player.
Britt DeWitt, quarterback on the football team, finally ended the match with a kill.
It was the ALA Queen Creek's fourth state title and second in a row.
Northwest Christian captures 3A title
Phoenix Northwest Christian won its second straight 3A state title, beating American Leadership West Foothills, 21-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-15.
Gavin Helmer was named the MVP. Northwest Christian beat the same school last year in the final in five sets.
The Crusaders were state runner-up in 2024, 2023 and 2021.
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. Please sign up for Azcentral Preps Now newsletter. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cienega, ALA QC, Northwest Christian take volleyball titles
Continue reading...
