At various times, SDSSAA high-school sports have witnessed an accumulation of club level talent within a single school that can easily render a given league almost unwatchable.

Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to the fall of 2021 Sudbury high-school senior boys volleyball.

The fact is that while the 2020 schedule, for what a small handful of schools were able to make of it, may have seen the Lo-Ellen Park Knights snap a six year run of supremacy by the Lasalle Lancers in a truly goofy season, the dogfight that is the current campaign is one worthy of celebration.

Throw the Lockerby Vikings (4-0), Horizon Aigles (5-1) and Confederation Chargers (4-1) into the mix with the afore-mentioned Knights (1-2) and Lancers (3-1) and a Champlain Requins’ (1-3) squad that has taken sets off the top five and you have the makings of an upcoming set of playoff matches unlike any seen in recent history.

All of which makes the fact that the post-season is likely to take place with no fans in the building that much tougher a pill to swallow. That quirk, however, is likely the only negative thrown into this discussion as the region benefits from Northern Chill Volleyball Club talent strewn in every direction of the compass.

The tone for the year was set right out of the opening gate.

Back on September 22nd, Confederation surprised an up and coming young contender in the form of E.S. l’Horizon, 25-21, 14-25, 14-25, 25-21, 15-13. The fact that last week, these same Aigles slipped past the Lasalle Lancers in another five set classic tells you everything you need to know about the senior Division A ranks this year.

For Confederation team captain Harrison Wilson, a mainstay on OVA provincial teams the past two summers, there has been something truly rewarding about incorporating non club trained volleyball talent into a contending team.

“They are all athletes, so it’s really about wanting the ball and knowing the rotation,” explained the 17 year-old left-side hitter. “That’s what it comes down to. As long as they know where they are supposed to be and they want to put the ball over, they want to win the game, then we’re set.”

“They all know how to compete,” Wilson added. “It’s really good to see that everybody wants it this year, everybody believes that we can win.”

The Chargers are currently 4-1, their only loss coming at the hands of the undefeated Vikings (4-0), though Lo-Ellen and Lasalle are waiting for their crack at coach Giuliana Parisotto’s enthusiastic crew.

Wilson, for his part, has been thrilled to test himself against the SDSSAA elite.

“I was really rooting for “A” Division last year, just because I like to compete,” he said. “I knew the boys could handle it. We’ve been working really hard, practicing almost every single morning. We’ve improved a lot and grown as a team.”

For setter Josh Stagg and the front-running Lockerby lads, that growth is truly four years in the making. “Luckily for us, we’ve been playing together, pretty much the same team, for all four years,” said the grade 12 senior who was key to a NOSSA championship winning junior team in 2019.

“We’ve had the same core players for all four years. So even though we had basically a year off, it wasn’t too hard for us to all get back into it.” In reality, the pandemic may have helped the group coached by long-time volleyball gentleman Stephen Beausoleil, whose unbeaten Vikings have been pushed to 20 points or more in nine of their twelve set victories to date.

“Last year, with so many practices without games, it gave us a lot more time to work on our chemistry on defense and offense, and I think that carried over,” said Stagg. “As a setter, the chemistry has a great impact for me. The more I get to play with my team, the more I get to know where they will be, how they want it (the set), where they want it.”

“There is a huge difference on where you need to set people, especially in the middle,” Stagg added. “Our middles have a lot of different size and athleticism – our left sides as well. They range from 6’2” to 5’8”, so knowing how far off the net they want it, if they want it right at the pin or inside, well, it’s just crazy how much you need the chemistry and communication to know where they want the ball.”

Two of the primary attackers at Horizon, especially with middle Eric Sauvé sidelined with an injury, Kyle Perreault and Ashten Lachance appreciate the value of a great set as much as anyone. In fact, the late birthday grade 12 teenager is fully on board with the value that came from the season that wasn’t last year.

“We weren’t able to play many games, it was mostly practices,” suggested Lachance. “But all of those practices helped us get better, learn our positions better, learn what to do better – just being smart while playing.”

A team built around a whole lot of grade 11 athletes, the Aigles may have started slow with their loss to Confederation, but definitely caught the attention of the league with a 25-20, 17-25, 20-25, 25-23, 17-15 slugfest with Lasalle. “That game was awesome,” said Lachance.

“Even before the game, in the locker room, we were all sitting there, thinking that it was going to be an awesome game. I love volleyball when you are playing an awesome team that makes you compete more.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, could easily be the tag-line of the 2021 Division A senior boys volleyball season.

The race is equally as close in the Division B ranks, with no unbeaten teams to be found as the Hanmer Sabres and Bishop Carter Gators share top spot at 3-1, with the Lively Hawks (2-1) and Sacre-Coeur Griffons (1-2) both still within striking range.

Many of the usual suspects are showing the way in the junior ranks as Horizon (5-1), Lockerby (4-0), Lasalle (3-1), Lo-Ellen (2-1), College Notre-Dame (2-2) and Confederation (2-3) currently hold down the six playoff spots.

Finally, a shout out to the Lo-Ellen Park Knights’ golf quartet of Johnny Svalina, Ethan Mulligan, Griffin Jones and Nik Harry who provided retiring coach Marc Taillefer with a wonderful parting gift in the form of a bronze medal team performance at the 2021 OFSAA Championships in Bolton.

Other SDSSAA golfers showing well on the boys' side included Benjamin Hickey representing the Sacré-Coeur Griffons (80-83) and Jake Dubowsky of the St Benedict Bears (83-81).

In girls play at the Sawmill Golf Course in Fenwick, Lea Lemieux (Lockerby Vikings) settled down nicely in her first OFSAA experience as the high-school freshman carded rounds of 90 and 81 to crack the top ten in the Open Division.

Competing in the High-School Classification, both Zoë Asselin (College Notre-Dame Alouettes - 113/104) and Julia Hayes (Lo-Ellen - 122/108) also showed marked improvement on day two of OFSAA competition.