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 The Stags defeated Peoria Limestone Walters 25-23, 23-25 and 25-23
to win their fifth consecutive 8th grade State Championship. Last
week the Stags won the 7-1A state title.
The little volleyball powerhouse from Logan County has now swept the
class EIGHT times in Coach Jennifer Hayes’ 23 year history. The coach
now has more state championships at the junior high level than years
she has coached - 24 in all. Again, that is at the junior high
level. An incredible feat.
The Stags were up against some outstanding competition in the
championship match as they faced the Peoria Limestone Walters
Rockets.
Not only was it an intense night of volleyball on the court, but it
was also a bit emotional off the court as the Rockets coach, Al
Huber, retired following the game. Coach Huber spent 43 years
coaching the program at Peoria. In fact, he has been the only head
coach in the history of the program.
The Rockets battled point-for-point with the Stags and in such a
hard-fought match it would have been easy to simply split the trophy
down the middle. However, that does not happen in sports.
But regardless if you were wearing the black and blue of the Rockets
or the orange and black of the Stags in the Pretzel Dome Tuesday
night, you witnessed 12 girls on the court at all times playing like
champions. Both teams gave it their best and the fans were treated
to some of the best volleyball ever in IESA history.
 Here is how it went down in New Berlin:
Game one started with the Stags jumping out to a 1-0 lead on the
serve. The Stags trailed 2-3 but quickly charged ahead 6-4 on a
sweet serve by Brianna Grabowski.
The Rockets tied it 6-6 on a huge kill by Mackenzie Catton. The
Stags got a monster kill from Grace Beekman to pull ahead 9-7. The
score was knotted at 10-10 as Grabowski was called in the net. The
Rockets took the lead 12-11 but that would be their last lead of
game one.
Back-to-back kills by Grabowski and Sami Perschall put the Stags up
15-12. Another kill by Perschall gave the Stags the 18-12 lead but
the Rockets came zooming back. With the score 18-15, Peoria was
called for an illegal hit and the momentum shifted back to the
Stags.
The Stags were up 20-17 when a couple “wow” plays by the Rockets
made the score 20-19. Another Perschall kill gave the Stags
“breathing room” 21-19. But the Rockets tied the score 21-21 on a
long hit that landed on the line in the Stags back corner.
Beckman’s kill gave the Stags a 23-21 lead and following a long
serve by Perschall, Karsen White of Peoria tied the score 23-23 with
her kill.
Hartsburg-Emden would win game one as Peoria hit the ball out of
bounds following one serve and then a Rockets player was called in
the net for the final point.
Game one to the Stags 25-23.
Game two
Game two started with Peoria getting the serve but Perschall’s kill
put the Stags up 1-0 early. Peoria jumped out to a 5-4 lead as the
Stags were called for a net violation. Then the Stags made a run and
were up 7-5.
A timeout was called as the Rockets had come charging back to take
control 10-8. Perschall tied it at 10-10 with yet another kill. Then
it was Perschall with the sneaky hit to tie game two 13-13.
The teams matched each other point-for-point until the Stags were
able to take a 20-18 lead. The Stags even went ahead 23-20 but there
was plenty of fuel left in the Rockets.
A great volley back and forth for what seemed like an eternity saw
the Rockets get the last bounce in their favor and the score was
soon 23-23.
The Rockets took control and earned the final two points to take
game two 25-23.
Game three
Game three belonged to the Stags early on as the orange and black
went on a 7-0 run and had the Rockets all out of sync. No worries
for Coach Huber’s squad though as they came firing back on all
cylinders and managed to make the score 7-6 on a kill by Karsen
White.
The Stags had put a little distance between themselves and the
Rockets with the score now 9-6 as Hattie Langley stepped to the
service line. Langley ran off four quick service points for the
Stags and the lead was back up to a comfortable 13-6.
Perschall’s kill made it 15-10 moments later and things were really
coming together nicely for Hayes’ squad.
But as Coach Huber pointed out during the postgame interview, the
momentum in volleyball is “so weird" and with things now shifting
the way of the Rockets the score rested at 17-17.
There would continue to be ties in this third and final game, 18-18
then 19-19 then 20-20 and then 21-21.
What happened next may have been something the Stags' fans did not
anticipate but the players handled with great poise. The Stags fell
behind 21-23 after Beekman hit the ball long and out of bounds.
Still, Beekman showed no signs of being frazzled. In fact, none of
the Stags showed any signs of distress.
Then Perschall hit a kill that landed on the line, and then Catton’s
ball went long and was out of bounds, and just like that the
ballgame was knotted at 23-23.
Quickly and ever-so-calmly, consecutive kills by Beekman gave the
Stags a 25-23 victory and their 24th IESA state championship.
Coach Hayes, who is well on her way to re-writing the IESA
history books, was not at a loss for words following her team’s
dramatic win. "It was a great ballgame. This is everything a
championship game should be. I really said to everybody that asked
'what do you think your chances are?' I said fifty-fifty. I said
he’s a great coach, he has a great program and I know he'll bring it
tonight and have them ready. Same thing with me. I knew that my
girls would be ready to go. We each had great girls coming together
and playing each other. Really that’s what it’s all about. You know,
going out, fighting hard and earning it. Having it close, it could
go either way. I didn't think anybody got more bounces than anybody
else. I thought he got a couple calls and I got a couple calls. It
evened out. Really at the end it was just who battled hard enough
and who got it at the end. I'm just glad it was my two.”
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When reminded that her teams had just swept the Class 1A volleyball
tournaments within the last week, Coach Hayes was almost at a loss
for words. Almost. She thought for a second and answered, "Kind of
surreal right now. I don’t even know what to say. It’s awesome. It’s
fun. I give all the credit to my girls. They are the ones that come
in everyday and do everything that I ask. And the parents that bring
them in at all kinds of crazy hours so that I can accommodate my own
children. They are all in sports. They never bat an eye. Whatever I
ask, they bring them. That shows the dedication to not only me but
to the program and to the sport and the love that we all have for
the game.”
Hartsburg-Emden without a doubt loves their volleyball and the
support from the hometown crowd is like no other.
It’s probable that Coach Hayes will be around for many more years,
but even she had to laugh when comparing herself to Coach Huber’s
longevity. "I don’t know if I’ll make it 43 years,” said the coach,
who is currently in her 23rd season with the Stags. "We’ll see how
long I can keep it going.”
In reference to Coach Huber, she also said, "We’ve battled it out in
championships more than once. He’s a great competitor and a great
coach and I have nothing but respect for him.”
Following the Stags win, Coach Hayes gathered her team together and
told them she had one extra medal to give away. She asked the team
if they would like to approach Coach Huber and present him with the
final first place medal. In a split second the members of the
Hartsburg-Emden Volleyball Team marched to the other end of the
court and surrounded the beloved coach from Peoria and watched as
Coach Hayes put the medal around his neck. The coach was obviously
appreciative as well as emotional at the classy gesture by his
younger counterpart.
Once the huge crowd around him died down, Coach Al Huber was able to
make a few comments on his final night of his coaching career. “The
match was incredible,” he said of the three nerve-racking games.
"The ride was a long ride but it was a sweet ride,” he said as he
reflected on his years with the Rockets. "I had the greatest kids in
the world to work with. We play hard, we never quit this match and
we never quit any match. We just keep playing. I am so proud of them
and what they have accomplished this year. They grew and I got
older,” he laughed.
As far as retirement goes, Coach Huber offered this, “It hasn’t hit
me yet, but maybe on the ride home it will because I’m driving by
myself. It’s okay. It’s okay.
"I had super kids and I couldn’t ask for anything better than that.
My reaction to this game is it was one heckuva match. We had them
23-21 and couldn’t put them away in the third set. It happens. They
beat us. That’s the way it goes. I am just proud of the way they
played tonight. They didn’t mess around.
"They went out and played and they never quit when we got down by
seven points a couple times and they came right back. That’s a hard
thing for kids to do in volleyball because the momentum is so weird.
When you get down like that I’ve seen a lot of teams just fold their
tent and go home. We did not. We came back and we played and we
played and we played.
"I am proud of them. I am proud of all the kids I’ve had these last
43 years,” he said with his voice getting shaky.
Trying hard to hold it together, he added, “I’m going to miss it
next year, I know I am. But it’s okay. My assistant coaches will be
head coaches next year I hope. Some young blood and more energy than
what I have left.” Stating that he is 71 years old, the coach said,
“It’s time to quit.”
Finally he offered nothing but praise for Coach Hayes and the people
of Hartsburg-Emden. "Very classy,” he said, "I respect Jennifer more
than any other coach. She’s just a great coach and she has a great
program. We were 0-4 against her in championship matches, counting
tonight. But I respect her. Her kids are great.
"The whole school is great. When I ask my kids where they want to
play other than our home, Limestone, they say Hartsburg. That’s kind
of like the mecca. They love that old gym and I love that old gym.”
Upon tallying the final stats for the Stags, Sami Perschall led the
team with 14 kills, while Grace Beekman had 8 kills. Lilly Escobedo
had 32 assists and Hattie Langley had 10 service points in the
championship match.
For the volleyball fan that thrives on heart-stopping moments, this
game had it all. From plays off the ceiling of the Pretzel Dome to
the players saving even the most unlikely balls and returning them
over the net, this game featured top-notch competition from the
get-go.
Grace Beekman, who was often at the center of the action, had a huge
crowd of fans around her following the game, but she was still able
to say a few words about the championship match. "I was very
excited. I thought we did really good. Even though we lost the
second game, I thought we came back really good in the third game
and gave it all we had,” she said.
Her teammate, Hattie Langley, was equally as popular following the
win and she could not stop smiling as she moved throughout the crowd
of orange and black fans. "That was a great game. The Rockets played
great. We played great. It was up and down. But we played harder I
guess.”
The Stags finished the season 21-7 while the Rockets finished their
season 25-4.
Earlier in the evening the third place contest was won by Royal
Prairieview Ogden (27-2) 25-18 and 25-17 over Augusta Southeastern
(21-7).
Congratulations to Coach Hayes and the entire team and support staff
that make up the Stag volleyball program!
[Teena Lowery] |
