Sowers captures volleyball title

The Sowers Middle School eighth-grade boys’ volleyball team began its playoff run in the Newport Mesa Athletic League with a No. 4 seeding in the tournament. They finished their regular season with a 4-2 record, having lost in straight games to both Dwyer and Corona Del Mar. Not to be deterred from their destiny, these mighty underdogs never gave up and put on an inspiring performance that eventually led to their final trophy winning match against Corona Del Mar.

The boys began their tournament with a dominating win over perennial volleyball powerhouse Ensign. From there, they continued to pick up momentum as they came up against the daunting task of facing a Dwyer team that had not tasted defeat in two years. In a tight first game, Dwyer setter Dylan Walter helped take down the Vikings despite impressive performances from outside hitters Jack Dorman and Garrett Deutsch.

However, this first game loss only spurred the Vikings on to a resurgent charge led by setter and team captain Ty O’Connor. With tough defending and power hitting provided by inspirational three-year veteran Bobby Kaae, the Vikings drained the Junior Oilers in the second game 25-15. From here, the Vikings never let up, receiving strong support off the bench from Tanner Orel and Nick Halloran, ending the final game 15-10 that sent the despondent defending champions packing. On to the finals!

After having just lost to Corona Del Mar two days previous, the Vikings had a mountain of a task to overcome as they prepared to face off against an experienced CdM squad in the finals. Not to be intimidated and having learned from their earlier match up, Hunter Kelley put on a clinical performance in the front row, not just dominating the blocking, but also pounding down several kills against a much taller Sea King squad. After winning the first game, the Vikings looked poised to complete an unprecedented win in the second with Andrew Nero providing strong backup. However, it appeared Corona Del Mar had regained the momentum as they evened up the games with a 27-25 overtime win. The final game started off scrappy with Shad Harris and Chandler Gibb stepping up their defense, but the Sea Kings took off to an early 8-4 lead. It wasn’t until Bobby Kaae went on a blistering service run that the Vikings regained the momentum and finished off the highly touted Sea Kings.

“It’s been a real pleasure to work with such a fine group of young men that are not only extremely talented, but kind and respectful as well,” Coach Kyley Morita said. “Those are important qualities that can’t always be taught or coached.”

The Sowers seventh-grade team ended its season in third place after falling to eventual winner Dwyer.

Coaches Katie Pearce and Kyley Morita thank the boys for a fantastic and memorable season.

SOCCER

Congratulations to the AYSO Region 55 Boys Under-16 team which finished first in U-16 Area E and K regional play with a 7-0-2 record. Led by coaches Russ Marlow and Danny Hough, the team scored 33 goals with only six goals allowed.

The team will compete for the Southern California AYSO U-16 championship on the UC Irvine campus this weekend.

Team members are Robert Baker, Aron Boucher, Dominic Deguiseppe, Ben Drolet, Luke Fell, Isaac Garcia, Austin Gearty, Tyler Hammock, Anthony Hough, Hunter Howe, Devin Lurie, Wyatt Marlow, Max McDaniel, Christian Negrete, Kevin Piscopo, Micah Schlechner and Matt Thomas.