For the first time in 25 years, the Cedars Christian Eagles are provincial boys volleyball champions.
The PG-based school, which was ranked number one going into the tournament captured gold Saturday night in the A Final against Unity Christian of Chilliwack in North Vancouver.
The Eagles took the fifth and deciding set 15-12.
After a thrilling 5-set game, Cedars Christian took home the 2023 1A Boys Volleyball Provincial Championship banner this past weekend. Congratulations! #BCSSProvincials pic.twitter.com/7AWIvAywR4
— BC School Sports (@BCSchoolSports) December 4, 2023
Head Coach Frank Crosina told MyPGNow.com that the play of the tournament’s most outstanding player Sam Nelson and first-team all-star Ryan Crosina was nothing short of outstanding.
“You could just trust them to make plays. If there was a play that needed to be made, they did it and took it on themselves. There was a game where Sam was facing a guy who served three or four in a row earlier in the tournament and he just told everybody that he had both seams. He then just made a pass, we made the set, we hit the ball down and that was the end of the game.”
Crosina added their consistent habits were a big factor in coming out on top.
“Just play the same way. It doesn’t matter if you are playing your first game or last one – it doesn’t matter if it’s the fifteenth point of the fifth or second match. If things are going well and we’ve scored five points in a row or they scored five points against you – play the game the same way.”
He mentioned some of the players from their last championship (25 years ago in 1998) are still around and developing the next generation of players.
“Roland Rempel is still here, he teaches volleyball and he puts time into the boys that are playing here. Volleyball is a growing sport in Prince George and it’s coming back again here and at Cedars it is coming back too.”
“You can go in with the best team and you lose. The best team doesn’t always win – sometimes it is the fourth or the fifth-ranked team. When we won it the last time, I think we were third and that was coached by Roland and Krystal Rempel. They were not the top-ranked team and they just pulled it off.”
The Eagles whipped St. Ann’s Academy of Kamloops 3-0 in the semifinal.
It was also the third straight provincial boys’ medal for the Eagles, who captured bronze in 2021 and silver last year.
– with files from Harley Miller, MyPGNow.com staff
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