CENTRAL NEW YORK – Making everyone in the area boys volleyball community feel proud, Jamesville-DeWitt won Section III’s first-ever state championship when it took the Division II title a season ago.
And while some of the Red Rams’ stars have graduated, many remain, and another quest for glory began on Aug. 31 when J-D swept past Central Square 25-9, 25-10, 25-8.
Luke McQuaid put away 14 kills, most of his passes set up by Tim Cooper, who had 22 assists and three aces. Avery Kielbasinski had four aces to go with five kills as Cam Moynihan got seven kills.
J-D was just as dominant in Saturday’s 25-14, 25-22, 25-11 win over Living Word Academy, who is one of the Rams’ main challengers among area Division II sides.
Improving from the Central Square match, Cooper had 30 assists, passing often to McQuaid, who got 13 kills. Aaron Ko returned and earned seven kills, Moynihan adding five kills and Phoenix McBride four kills.
Of course, 2022 also marked an unlikely run for Fayetteville-Manlius to the sectional Division I title as it won a five-set epic with Cicero-North Syracuse to claim the title.
With nearly everyone back, the Hornets would have a rematch with C-NS last Friday night, and this time it didn’t take as long as F-M swept the Northstars.
The first set proved important, going back and forth before the Hornets pulled it out 25-22. Again it was tight in the second, but F-M got it 25-21 and then finished it off 25-17 in the third.
Consistent on the back line, Connor Sugar managed 30 assists as Jared Duggal got nine digs. Up front, junior Charlie Schroeder led with nine kills, Chris Cleary and Mike McAndrew each getting seven kills as Charles Addonizio had five kills and Guy Juran four kills.
Before all this, F-M met Syracuse City in last Tuesday’s season opener and were pushed in a close first set and a closer third set.
Still, F-M won in three 25-20, 25-11, 27-25, with Cleary getting 12 kills, Schroeder adding nine kills and McAndrew earning seven kills. Sugar fed them with 33 assists as Sean Kellish got six aces and Duggal managed five aces.
East Syracuse Minoa won its season opener last Wednesday against Syracuse City, emerging from a tense opening set to win it 28-26 before dropping the second set 25-20.
Each of the next two sets was close, too, but the Spartans won them by equal 25-22 margins as Donovan Randall, with 31 assists, passed it to Tyler Quarry (13 kills) and Jacob McGuigan (10 kills), with Tommy Clonan getting 20 digs and McGuigan managing six blocks. Randall, Ryan Sullivan and Austin Betts had five kills apiece.
Even more impressive was what the Spartans did against Baldwinsville on Friday, dropping the first set 25-23, but taking the next set 25-22 and the third 25-15 before surviving a tense 26-24 fourth set to end it.
Betts stepped up with 11 kills, just ahead of Quarry’s total of 10 kills. McGuigan and Caleb Byrd each gained seven kills, with Sullivan adding six kills. Randall earned 35 assists, helped by Clonan’s 15 digs and Tyler Hlidreth’s 10 digs.
