Bonanza edges Bishop Gorman for Southwest League boys volleyball title

Bonanza’s boys volleyball team probably could’ve thrown in the towel on the season when it started 0-3 and lost its starting middle blocker.

But the Bengals are glad they didn’t.

Jason Bedford powered the match-winning kill past well-placed Bishop Gorman middle blocker Ronnie Stanley, and Bonanza grabbed its first outright Southwest League title in five years with a 25-18, 26-24, 21-25, 15-25, 21-19 win in Thursday’s de facto league championship.

“We were taught that even though we were down to never give up and always keep positive on the court,” said Bedford, who finished with 10 kills and five aces. “No matter what, you keep fighting and fighting for it. And that’s what we did. We fought back, and we won.
“It feels like a state championship right now.”

Jared Hyer led Bonanza (11-6, 11-3 Southwest League) with 12 kills and four blocks, including four kills in the first game. Bedford added two aces to ice the 1-0 advantage for the Bengals.

Bonanza overcame three kills and three blocks by Gorman’s Ben Carter, as well as a three-set rally on game point by the Gaels (11-5, 10-4), to hang on for the win. Carter ended with 15 kills and six blocks for Gorman.

After falling behind by two games, the Gaels rallied back on the strength of two kills and three blocks by Stanley, who finished with nine blocks.

“That’s the way the division title should be,” first-year Bonanza coach Joe Cap said. “It should come down to the wire, with the two best teams, battling back and forth. It was a lot of fun ... and stressful, by every sense of the word.”

Carter then put up three kills, including the game-winner, and two blocks as the Gaels stretched a 10-2 run into a fourth-game win. Ryan Parks posted 14 kills and 13 digs for Gorman, which also started the fifth game 8-4 to seemingly take control of the match.

But Bonanza had other ideas.

“It’s those tough games that make it fun. My heart still hasn’t stopped pounding,” Cap said nearly 20 minutes after the win. “It’s a great win. Our guys played hard and showed how bad they wanted the win. It’s a lot of fun doing that.”

Gorman used its momentum in the fifth game to charge force the first match-point, going up 16-15 on a kill by Carter.

But Hyer laid down a kill to tie the match again, and the teams played back-and-forth volleyball for 11 straight sets before Bedford’s match-winner.

“If we got that point, it was (going to be) the biggest accomplishment for us all,” Bedford said. “We totally deserved it. We came back, fought back; we just came back and won it.

“That just tells you not to give up, even when you’re down.”

Cru Leavitt had 22 assists and seven kills for Bonanza, and Dustin Tippetts dished out 25 assists. Jared Harrington also tallied nine kills for the Bengals.

The win capped an up-and-down season for Bonanza, which lost its first three matches to Shadow Ridge, Silverado and Centennial and then lost junior Price Jarman to a season-ending knee injury.

With the win, the Bengals will face Arbor View in the first round of the Sunset Region playoffs on Tuesday at Palo Verde, while Gorman takes on the host Panthers.

“Words can’t explain how I feel right now. I’ve been coaching in the district for 10 years, and this is the first time I’ve won the league,” Cap said. “Nothing can take this away right now. As a team, we’re on Cloud 9.”

Tom finished with 37 assists, and Cody Wing chipped in 16 digs for Gorman.