This sequel was a long, long time in the making, but it turned out to be pretty darn good.
Argyle Secondary fielded a senior boys volleyball team this year, becoming the first North Shore public school with such a squad in more than 20 years, since the late 1990s. And the Pipers started pounding right from the start, winning the Lower Mainland championship last month and capping their comeback season off with an eighth place showing at the AAA provincial championships held last weekend at the Langley Events Centre.
“It was quite a wild ride,” said head coach Shon Sim, who spent years leading a small group of players, parents and coaches that finally brought senior boys high school volleyball back to the North Shore. “Just the fact that there hasn’t been a team on the North Shore since the 1990s, and 19, 20 years later here we are trying to get it going again. And for them to win Lower Mainlands and come away with a tournament all-star (at provincials), I think it speaks volumes to what the program could be. I’m just hoping to build some momentum and get some more boys going.”
The Pipers showed well leading into the playoffs, scoring podium spots at a couple of tournaments and faring well while playing an exhibition schedule in a Vancouver league. Their big breakout came at the Lower Mainland championships where they came in ranked fifth in the tournament but knocked off top-seeded David Thompson Secondary in the semifinals before beating Van Tech in the final.
Star Grade 12 hitter Markus Bratsberg was named tournament MVP while Adam Kartusch, Ethan Gill, and Grade 10 Christian Wels-Lopez all earned all-star honours.
“It was an amazing run,” said Shon, adding that organizers informed him that Argyle was the first North Shore boys team to win the Lower Mainland title and go to AAA provincials.
At the B.C. championships Argyle finished second in their pool and won their opening playoff match before falling to Surrey’s Earl Marriott in straight sets in the quarterfinals. The Pipers led by at least five points in all three sets against the Mariners but couldn’t hold on for the wins.
“It’s first year program, they’re a young team,” said Shon of his Pipers. “They haven’t really done any of this before. You could see the pressure kind of showing. … I would say the nerves got the better of them. But at the end of the day I think it was just cool for them to all be there.”
Marriott went on to win bronze at the tournament while Semiahmoo won gold and Mount Baker took silver. Bratsberg was named a tournament all-star.
It was new territory for all of the Pipers, but they certainly didn’t look out of place on their sport’s biggest stage.
“I had one coach asking me how we did last year at provincials,” said Shon with a laugh. “I was like, ‘we haven’t been here before. We haven’t had a team in 20 years.’ His jaw dropped.”
Shon is hoping that Argyle’s success will help develop more momentum for boys volleyball on the North Shore. His plan is to try to get Grade 8 and 9 leagues up and running, possibly as early as this spring, while aiming to have a North Shore league swing into action in a couple of years. If these Pipers have shown anything, it’s that it doesn’t have to take long for new teams to start hitting with the big boys.
“We’re looking forward to next year,” said Shon.
