College Heights, ACS to resume championship bids
College Heights middle Dayton O’Neill hits a ball against Kelly Road’s JT Laxal. Photo by Ted Clarke. 2018
By Bob Carter
Abbotsford Christian and College Heights came close in 2017. Now the Knights, AA silver medalists last year, and the Cougars, who placed fourth last year and second in 2016, are preparing for another title pursuit in the Kahunaverse Sports BC Volleyball Championships.
The event runs Nov. 28-Dec. 1 at Langley Events Centre.
The two teams are among those that have been chasing top-ranked George Elliot (Lake Country) most of the season.
ACS, which lost to repeat champ Langley Christian in last year’s final, is again powered by 6-6 Cole Brandsma, a Grade 12 outside hitter. The UBC signee was a member of Volleyball Canada’s National Youth Team earlier in the year.
“Cole is very skilled, but he’s as humble as he is spectacular,” said Knights coach Anthony Jansen. “He’s pretty consistent emotionally and plays hard to support his team. A quiet leader.”
Abby Christian’s Cole Brandsma pounding a ball from the left side. Photo by Paul Yates.
The Knights played well for most of the regular season but lost two late Fraser Valley league matches (to LCS and MEI) when Brandsma was out with an ankle injury. Soon after his return, the team dropped two matches in the zone playoffs (to MEI and Surrey Christian), slipping to a sixth seed for the BCs.
Asked about his squad prior to the Fraser Valleys, Jansen said, “They’re still a young team that’s trying to figure some things out.”
College Heights (Prince George) had a better zone showing last week and earned the second seed behind George Elliot in the top AA power pool at Langley. The Cougars won the North Central playoffs, beating Kelly Road in the final.
Six players returned from a year ago, including two talented left sides, Matthew Shand and Nolan Minck. Shand was a first team all-star at last year’s BCs and Minck a second-team selection.
“Matt’s a very good jumper who hits a heavy ball,” CH coach Linden Smith said. “He’s also becoming a smarter player.”
Minck, a skillful passer, sometimes gets overlooked, Smith said, because he doesn’t jump as high as Shand, but he’s a highly efficient hitter.
The two get help up front from right side Isaiah Ohori and middle Dayton O’Neill.
Ohori, Smith said, was a “go-to” hitter in junior and club play. “But he got thrown into a role where we needed him on the right side. To get on the floor, he had to adapt, but he’s improving. He quickly earned his keep.”
O’Neill stands about 6-5 or 6-6, Smith said, “but has a wingspan of 6-8. He has crazy long arms. He’s definitely one of the most underrated middles (in BC). His game has improved a lot.”
Other key contributors include setter Zach Ohori, Isaiah’s older brother, and a second middle, Rafael Rodrigues.
The team’s strengths: strong attacking from the left side, good blocking and defence.
As Abby Christian tries to rebound from its zone showing, the Knights almost certainly will be led by Brandsma, not only by his talent but the intangibles he brings.
“He’s a big confidence booster when he’s on the court,” Jansen said. “He calms everyone down.”
Brandsma also has a dependable supporting cast that includes 6-3 Grade 12 Connor Piers, a left-handed hitter who plays the right side; Grade 12 setter Brandon Visser, a Team BC player last year; and 6-3 middle Josh Apperloo, a Grade 11 who has played every position but setter this season.
Abby Christian setter Brendan Visser. photo by Paul Yates
Visser has matured greatly, Jansen said. “He hustles really well, and gets to almost every ball. He’s very dedicated, probably the hardest worker on the team.”
Jansen indicated earlier this month that he liked the team’s unity but thought his side needed to raise its grit level in the postseason.
“We’re working on trying to dig the ball, get balls up and fight to the end,” he said. “We need to be gritty and defensive-minded. We’ve had some games where we’ve come back and others we haven’t.
“It’s about the kids finding that rhythm. They can do it.”
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BUY 4 DAY PASS TICKETS NOW! Kahunaverse BC Boys Volleyball Provincial Championships Nov 28-Dec 1
Buy Your Tickets now for the Kahunaverse BC Boys Volleyball Provincial Championships November 28-Dec 1.
The Kahunaverse Sports BC Volleyball Championship is British Columbia’s premier high school volleyball event. This four-day tournament brings together 36 teams representing their schools, districts and zones. The tournament opens on Wednesday November 28, 2018 with oth the AAA and AA divisions participating in round robin matches leading to the championship finals on Saturday December 1, 2018.
**(please note, the 4 Day FULL pass will only be available for purchase until end of the day Nov 28, 2018 )
We are getting close to the Kahunaverse Provincial Championships again. 2017 AAA CHAMPS SEMI hoist the Championship trophy. Photo by Paul Yates.
Children 6 and under are free, please select CHILD ticket type. Children 7-12 please select CHILD+ ticket type.
If you are an educator and would like to book tickets for your students, special rates apply! Please contact us at 604.882.8800
NEW* 2018 BC High School Boys Registration Instructions
2018 BC High School Boys “AA/AAA” Volleyball Registration
Coaches and Athletic Directors:
For 2018 – “AA” & “AAA” senior boys’ volleyball teams must complete the following tasks:
1. BC School Sports Registration “STARS”
When entering your senior boys’ volleyball team in to the BCSS “Stars” database include the following required information:
- First and last name of athlete. (Use the following style: Joe Smith)
- Grade
- Height – use feet and inches
- Uniform/Jersey #
- Head coach name
- Head coach email
- Head coach cell #
NEW: Please ensure the head coach’s name, email and cell phone # are listed in STARS
DO NOT use the Athletic Director’s name or school phone # as the contact.
Deadline for complete registrations in STARS: October 17, 2018
2. Team Photo
All teams must submit a quality colour digital team photo. Make sure you follow these instructions:
- “Landscape” orientation, JPG format. Note: Vertical pictures will not be accepted!
- Place ½ the team sitting on a bench or chairs, and the other ½ standing behind. Coaches should be in the picture and situated on the outside edges.
- Players should be in uniform (tops, shorts, shoes), with numbers clearly visible.
- Use a light background, preferably without lines or patterns. A blank wall/screen would be best. Do not stand in front of your school logo….use a plain background.
- Ensure each team member’s uniform number corresponds to the roster submitted in STARS..
- If necessary, please crop the image. Large files may not transmit well via email.
Note: Pictures that do not meet the criteria laid out will not appear in the tournament program.
Deadline for submission: Friday, October 27 File must be sent via email
3. Team Logo – We may not have a copy of your logo in PDF…..
Check our website: bchighschoolboysvolleyball.com to see if there is a copy of your school logo (in PDF) on record with the tournament. If there isn’t, or if you have a new logo, you must submit your COLOUR PDF school logo via email. Deadline for submission: Friday, October 27 File must be sent via email
Instructions for submitting team photo and school logo:
- Save your team photo as a PDF, label with the name of your school and email to the email address listed below.
- Place your school name in the SUBJECT line of the email.
- ENSURE your team picture includes everyone listed on your BCSS roster.
- EMAIL your team photo and logo to bchighschoolboysvolleyball@gmail.com
Teams need to complete all 3 steps of the registration process to appear in the BC Championship program.
Questions? Email me at bchighschoolboysvolleyball@gmail.com
Sharon Carter
Tournament Director
Tournament Pass Now Available at Ticket Master
Tournament Pass option
Tournament Pass $25.00- available only till Dec 1 midnight
Adult Pass $10.00 single ticket
Student and Senior $5.00 single ticket
Youth (7 – 12 ) $2.00 single ticket
School Group Tickets- Groups of 20 or more–$3.00
- Teacher is free
- Needs to be arranged through Darcy Rhodes drhodes@langleyeventscentre.com 604 455 8885
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