The No.1 seeded Queen Creek Casteel Colts swept the No. 2 Cienega Bobcats 3-0 to secure the school's first boys volleyball championship Saturday at Skyline High School in Mesa.
The Colts (21-1) came into the tournament ranked No. 1 by the Arizona Interscholastic Association, though it had one loss in the regular season. That came to Perry, the No. 1 team in 6A, which at one point was ranked No. 1 in the country by high school sports site MaxPreps. Casteel was in the top 20.
Cienega (20-1), located southeast of Tucson, was undefeated and ranked No. 2 before falling for the first time this season Saturday.
“It is everything and means so much to finish the season with the title,” said Casteel head coach Ryan Meyn. “It is what we worked for not only this season but the last five seasons. It was our goal and it is tremendous to see it come true.”
Casteel, a Chandler district school located in Queen Creek, nearly was eliminated earlier in the tournament by No. 5 Williams Field, a team they had previously defeated, falling behind 0-2 before storming back with three straight sets to advance.
“We chipped away at it and once the momentum was ours we never let it go. It was a tough match against a really talented group and I am happy we got to chance to fight for the championship,'' Meyn said.
Saturday's match began with a close first set but the Colts prevailed 25-15. The second set was tougher as the Bobcats were keen on tying things up but the Colts edged them 25-20.
Casteel dominated the final set 25-14 to take the match.
“I told these guys all the time to leave a legacy and they did just that,” Meyn said. “They are leaving a legacy for all the students and the school as a whole. I am proud of the student section and fans that were here to support us. They got to see some really good volleyball and history in the making.”
Senior Kyler Evans was the San Tan Region Player of The Year, senior Noah Solomonson (libero) won Defensive Player of the Year, senior Tate Bluth (setter) received All Region 1st Team Setter, Junior Shawn Baggs (middle blocker) received All Region 1st Team Middle Blocker and senior Dallon Hunt (outside hitter) received All Region 2nd Team Outside Hitter.
“They are the complete package and complete team,” Meyn said. “They are a family and we preach that all the time and I have tried to to do that over the years but this team really acted as a family.''
