A strong and deep Christopher boys volleyball team had a superb season and closed strong for a league title and the playoffs.
The Cougars finished 13-3 in the Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa Division, and took the crown by prevailing in tiebreakers over rivals Westmont and Pioneer, who both finished with the same mark.
CHS, 22-10 overall, advanced into the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs and lost a tight contest at Peninsula Athletic League, Bay Division runner-up Burlingame. The scores were 25-20, 25-22, 25-19.
The accomplishments were major steps forward for the program. Just two years ago, Christopher was 5-25 overall. That number was blemished by an 0-12 record in the ultra-competitive Mt. Hamilton Division yet the Cougars were also just 5-13 in non-league games.
“We’ve been doing pretty well,” said coach Lee Guerrero, after a win over Hollister on April 30. “I think we exceeded expectations. It’s due to hard work. Diego (Rodriguez) is a high-level player. He has a lot of skill and is only a sophomore. Sam (Bravo) at setter is our quarterback. It’s his first season running the team and he is doing really good. He is a leader and is very consistent. Nolan Smith at libero is one of our team captains and a leader. He is a great team player. Every team should have a player like him.”
Diego Rodriguez smashed 398 kills with an amazing attack percentage of .364. Marc Luna had 266 kills and Matthew Garamendi put down 130. Nolan Smith led in digs with 135, Rodriguez had 109 and Rylan Antipuesto and Steven Jiminez Palao had 97 and 96 respectively. Serving leaders were Rodriguez at 31 aces and Bravo with 25.
Christopher’s winning formula began with two sophomores, the smooth Bravo with his spot-perfect sets, and the tall and talented outside hitter Rodriguez. Smith, a junior, led the defense at libero.
Christopher’s success came from having several other major contributors. The front line attack was bolstered by the athletic duo of Luna and Garamendi. In the middle, Alberto Zaragoza, Noah Guerrero and Evan Arisa were stellar. Additional depth came from Antipuesto, Jiminez Palao and Cruz Carrasco on defense.
The Cougars came roaring out of the gate in league play this season. CHS beat Sobrato, Hill, Westmont, Pioneer, Prospect, Silver Creek, Oak Grove, Santa Teresa and Hill in succession.
The wins over Westmont in a sweep on March 13 and at Pioneer on March 18, also 3-0, were huge. Stumbles came in an April 15 loss at Westmont, a four-set defeat to Pioneer on April 17 and a five-set decision in favor of Prospect on April 22. The Cougars topped Silver Creek to start getting back on track and then performed superbly in the prestigious and challenging Bellarmine tournament on April 25 and 26.
“After spring break, we got out of the gate slow,” coach Guerrero said. “But after that, we played in the Bellarmine Tournament and went 3-3. We beat De La Salle, Carlmont and Amador Valley there.”
The Cougars got back in gear again and closed the regular season with a six-match winning streak. After winning the last two contests in that tournament, Christopher bounced Oak Grove in a sweep on April 29, Hollister in a non-league match a day later, topped Santa Teresa on May 5 and then swept Sobrato.
The Hollister contest showed their strength in a 25-16, 25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 15-10 decision on April 30. The Haybalers, from the fierce Pacific Coast Athletic League, Gabilan Division, gave them a real run for the money.
Rodriguez was dealing early, and Luna and Garamendi supported to diversify the offense and allow Bravo to pass to different players and varied points of attack. CHS charged out to a big early lead in both the first two sets. Strong serving and passing kept Hollister out of system. But the visitors tightened up their defense and pulled out dead-even sets three and four.
The Cougars regrouped in the fifth, scoring the first five points and keeping Hollister at bay thereafter. Noah Guerrero scored early with a roll shot and with a big kill, Rodriguez utilized his quick arm swing and impressive vertical to drive two powerful kills and Luna scored off the block. Bravo and Luna combined for a double block for a point and Bravo surprised the Hollister defense with a perfectly-placed setter dump.
“It was a good game,” Bravo said. “It was fun and intense. In sets three and four, they hustled. In the time out before the fifth set, we talked it over and talked about what we do better. It was our covering, our hustling and our serving.”
Smith and the defense were particularly strong again. The passing was spot-on to Bravo, which enabled Christopher to utilize different options at the net.
“You can’t take anything for granted,” coach Guerrero said. “We learned you can’t just walk on the court and win. Hollister never gave up and they really hustled. This was a very good experience for us, as we’re still young. In the fifth set, our passing got better. And it was again great plays by Diego.”
Last year’s team was 16-11 overall, 7-5 in league play and did not qualify for the CCS playoffs. This team captured a league title and competed in the post-season. That accomplishment was a great reward for the seniors. With underclassmen already playing key roles, the future looks very bright for Cougars boys volleyball.
