Joshua Jones and the Kagman High School Ayuyus tackled four straight games, launching an incredible turnaround to clinch their fourth boys varsity volleyball title at the Marianas High School Gymnasium.
Roaring “it’s over” on the court, Jones delivered his final spike to close the doors on the second-seeded Saipan International School in game two of the finals.
The Geckos, who dropped both MHS-KFC and KHS in the winners’ bracket, advanced to the semifinals on Wednesday. Their journey to the finals was complete after a three-set win over Marianas High’s QT’s (25-18, 24-26, 16-14).
The odds were less favorable to the Ayuyus, who needed to beat top-ranked Grace Christian Academy and the QT’s before reaching SIS.
“I feel good. I believed in my team,” said Jones, filled with adrenaline after the game.
“We pretty much improved a lot. In the beginning of the season they weren’t doing well but near the playoffs we talked and we gained confidence.
Our training paid off.”
Seniors Justin Kumagai and Anthony Foster also led the way, absorbing attacks from Clay McCullough-Stearns and Taek Han Yoon at the net.
The Geckos edged KHS, 27-25 in the first set of their first finals match. Firing back, Jones and Foster struck one by one to crush SIS, 25-13 by set two. The Geckos lost the ball twice and knelt to KHS, 15-13 in the third set.
SIS sought revenge in game two, having lost to Kagman High in last year’s semifinals.
Tired and a little shaky, the Ayuyus needed only one more game and entered two points behind in the first set. SIS however, capitalized on a three-point lead and won, 25-22.
Moments later, three easy kills shot SIS ahead, 17-16 in the second set.
KHS played safe and delivered underhand serves to win 25-17 and force the Geckos to the third set. They triumphed again, 15-9 to retain the title.
Under Coach Emilia Quitugua, the Ayuyus’ roster also includes Peter Camacho, Ken Lizama, Arthur Jephen, Dariel Foster, Michael Taitano, Christian Puntalan, and Frankie Blas.
KHS first claimed the championship in 2008 — a freshman year for Jones. He, Kumagai, and Anthony and Dariel Foster will graduate this year while the rest will stay for next year’s season.
Top-seeded GCA entered the playoffs undefeated on Wednesday but lost to the QT’s in the quarterfinals. From the losers’ bracket, they eliminated Saipan Southern High School but lost to KHS. GCA notched 12 wins with no losses during regular season.
SIS ranked second with 10 wins and two losses while the Ayuyus had seven wins with five losses.
Both the MHS Awesome Fins and MHS-KFC ended their bids early after losing to SSHS in the losers’ bracket.
The Geckos, settling for first runner up, included Andrew Nutting, Clay McCullough-Stearns, Taek Han Yoon, Rafael Jones, Angelo Jones, Christopher Lam, Andrew Johnson, Seoung Joon Lee, Je Yun Choi, Jehn Joyner, and Sei Higuchi.
Meanwhile, the Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization will start its girls varsity basketball playoffs today.
Volleyball pros to visit KHS
As part of winning the finals, Northern Marianas Islands Volleyball Association president Laurie Peterka confirmed that several American professional players will visit KHS to conduct volleyball clinics in the future.
The names of the visiting pros and their arrival dates will be released at a later time according to Peterka.
