Boys’ volleyball club sees first action in local tourney
Team wins two of their three matches against local club teams in first ever boys’ volleyball game for CHS
Calvin Walewangko and Andres Fregoso rise to block Beaumont’s attack.
San Bernardino, CA—While technically not an official team yet, on Saturday, April 30, Colton High’s boys’ volleyball club played in their first ever games at the Pearce Center. The impromptu, unofficial round robin tournament was hosted by the Rancho Valley Volleyball club, and involved club teams from Bloomington, Rancho Valley, and Beaumont.
Colton held their own admirably against their more experienced competition, winning two of the three games they played. In the first game, they took two of the three sets to defeat the Bloomington team. They faced against a long, powerful Beaumont team in their second match. Beaumont wouldn’t let Colton breathe, and won in straight sets. In the third game, they played the hosting club, Rancho Valley, and walked away with their second victory of the day.
Coach Anthony Wade was thrilled to watch his boys get their first taste of action. “I’m excited for the guys to be able to the opportunity to be able to play this game. We have a lot of athletes and I think we can really start competing fairly early against some programs.”
The team was equally thrilled. Senior Matthew Sosa Contreras said, “It was very exhilarating! My teammates helped me be prepared and not nervous . . . As a team, we did really well communicating. Our chemistry is great and we all get along and take care of each other.”
Junior Duke Medina had a terrific game for the Yellowjackets. “For my first time, I believe I did really well and I had fun doing it,” he said. “Getting compliments from the other team really helped in evaluating myself.”
The road to getting a boys’ volleyball team has been a long one, and this event was as much a celebration of the effort it took to get this far. For seniors like Sosa Contreras and Max Ramos, this was as close as they were going to get to CIF-sanctioned play. For the rest of the squad, it is evidence that with their first official season on the horizon, the future looks bright.
“I want a real boys team, not just a club,” Max Ramos said. “One that will bring championships to Colton.”
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