CENTRAL NEW YORK – In so many ways, a Section III Class B winter championship for the Chittenango boys volleyball team was a bigger feat in 2025 than it was in 2024.
Unlike its undefeated predecessors of a season earlier, the Bears had setbacks – namely, two losses to Central Valley Academy – but it could all be made good if it beat the Thunder Thursday night at Westmoreland High School with the sectional title on the line.
Not only did Chittenango pull it off, the way it happened – falling behind two sets and then recovering to prevail in five – only had to make the accomplishment sweeter.
All went in CVA’s direction early as it rolled through the opening set 25-15. While the second set was much closer, the Thunder came up with the key points and held on 25-23.
Now to win, Chittenango had to pull off the “reverse sweep”, erasing a two-set deficit, which it started to do in the third by getting many key points late to grab a 25-22 decision.
CVA got out in front in the fourth set, but gradually the Bears caught up, overtook the Thunder and won it 25-19 meaning that the entire season rode on a fifth-set race to 15 where a two-point winning margin was required.
Neither side built a big lead and, with a match point saved, it was 14-14. Chittenango got back the serve and watched a CVA attempt go long for the winning point 16-14.
Ryan Thousand picked up 20 kills and Jackson Blaszkow had 18 kills. Logan Bronner earned 47 assists as Thousand and Gavin Karwoski got 11 digs apiece. Jacob Wagner managed seven kills and Logan Mills had five kills while equaling Blaszkow’s four blocks. Seth Boulter and Micah Schrialli put up seven digs apiece behind Bronner’s nine digs and Blaszkow’s eight digs.
Right before the playoffs started, Chittenango had another tough match Feb. 21 regular-season finale when it needed five sets to top Vernon-Verona-Sherrill.
Chittenango lost the first set 25-15 and the third 28-26 with a 25-16 second-half set win in between. Two points from defeat in the fourth, the Bears pulled it out 26-24 and then took the final set 15-11.
Blaszkow put away 23 kills and Thousand had 13 kills. Bronner feeding it to them with 49 assists. Karwoski led the defense with 12 digs as he joined Wagner and Mills with five kills apiece, Wagner adding eight blocks.
Given the no. 2 Class B playoff seed, the Bears rolled through last Monday’s quarterfinal with no. 7 seed Mount Markham, claiming a 25-15, 25-17, 25-21 sweep over the Mustangs.
With 43 assists, Bronner passed it to a line where Blaszkow amassed 21 kills, Thousand earning 11 kills and Wagner getting 10 kills. Karwoski had five kills and five assists, Mills earning four kills and Schiralli notching a team-best nine digs ahead of Blaszkow’s seven digs and Karwoski’s six digs.
The sectional semifinal a night later brought a rematch between Chittenango and VVS, but this time on the Bears’ home floor – and it didn’t take as long.
Playing at a high level from the opening serve, the Bears blew past the Red Devils 25-13 in the opening set and, after a closer second set 25-21, won 25-17 in the third to earn its return trip to the finals.
Earning 15 kills and 14 digs, Blaszkow worked next to Thousand, who had 14 kills and 13 digs. Karwowski earned eight kills and 10 digs, Wagner getting five kills and Mills adding four kills as Bronner finished with 40 assists.
There was little time to celebrate the sectional title because, on Saturday, the season would conclude at Westmoreland with a regional final against Section II champion Ichabod Crane.
And it proved quite a satisfactory conclusion, with Chittenango taking the first two sets 25-17 and 25-20. When Crane threatened to stage its own comeback, the Bears cut it off 25-23 in the third to clinch the regional title.
Blaszkow’s 12 kills led a front line where Wagner stepped up with 10 kills, Thousand added eight kills and Karwoski had six kills. Bronner finished with 23 assists to run his season total to 674 as Boulter and Karwoski led the defense with nine digs apiece.
