SANGER – In the Central Valley, boys volleyball does not garner the same attention as the other sports. A few schools do offer the program, including Sanger High School which had a successful campaign this past spring with a second-place finish in the Central Valley.
While the season ended, several players from Sanger continued to play with the Apache Volleyball Club 18 over the summer. They continued to have success and even qualified for the AAU Boys Volleyball National Championships in Orlando earlier this month. There, the club went undefeated and won the national championship in the 18 Elite Division.
“That was the best part, just watching them reach their full potential of the way they can play and getting to see that come to fruition,” head coach Scott Okada said about the title. “It was nice to see everyone just healthy again and just excited to play again and they really played like it.”
The Apaches began the tournament on June 30 and played until July 3. They competed in the 18 Elite Division, which consisted of 77 club teams from across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. As these local kids traveled to the other side of the country, they relished the opportunity to compete on the big stage.
“It was a new experience for us and the kids so we were really excited,” Okada said. “We were just excited to see what we could do at this last tournament and we did really well.”
Over the course of the tournament, the Apaches excelled going 13-0, only losing one set in the process. Through the first three days of the tournament, the Apaches finished first in all their pools and won their crossover challenge. Despite long days and short turnarounds, the club dominated to qualify for the tournament’s golden bracket.
In the bracket,, the Apaches defeated Forza Boys 18 Black from Florida in the quarterfinals and then beat 630 Volleyball in the semifinals. Facing then undefeated Velocity B18 Red in the championship match, the Apaches took care of business to finish undefeated and win the national championship.
Okada’s players had been dealing with injuries to wrap up the spring high school season, so the Apaches were finally healthy heading into the AAU tournament. Along with their newfound health, Okada believes his club’s execution in several areas of the game spurred their run to the national title.
“We were serving very aggressively and consistently and we passed really well which keeps us in system,” Okada said. “They just did a lot of things that we’ve been preaching but they did it very consistently and were real steady every day.”
For his play over the course of the tournament, outside hitter Seth Dillon was named the Tournament MVP. His teammates, outside hitter Trent Navo and setter Giovanni Valencia, were named to the all-tournament team for their performances. The rest of the national championship-winning roster, all coming from Sanger High School, includes Sebastian Salazar, Jackson Dhillon, Micah Cole, Cody Coles, Isaac Herrera, Johnco Vang, Pedro Pucero, Ryan Diehl and Eduardo Gonzalez-Alcazar.
Many of these players were part of the Apache Boys Team that won the USA Volleyball National Championship in the 17 Club Division last summer. These players then played club together through this past fall and winter. Earlier this year, the club took second in the 18 Club Division of the SoCal Open Championship in January and finished second in the Hawaii Invitational Varsity Tournament in March.
After finishing second in the Division I Central Section Championships this past spring, the Sanger boys volleyball team took third in the NorCal Division I Regional Championships. Before heading off to Orlando, the Apache Volleyball Club 18 finished third in the SoCal Cup Showcase Tournament in June.
As this group of players battled and succeeded through the past year, Okada believes they bonded and grew closer together. As they ended the year with an AAU national championship, Okada believes doing it together was the ultimate reward.
“We have a group of guys that stick together all year, which is not for everyone. You have to really enjoy each other’s company and be willing to do a lot together and bond,” Okada said. “That’s not holding us back. It’s actually helping us succeed and venture into some new territory.”
