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Sports Oakville Beaver 31 · Thursday, November 15, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-632-0588 (ext. 294) email sports@oakvillebeaver.com Aquinas raids Halton boys' volleyball Tier 2 trophy case Dominant for years, seniors finally claim elusive regional crown By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLEBEAVERSTAFF Junior Raiders sweep Webb to finish season without losing a set By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders finally added the one missing piece needed to be considered a dominant team -- a championship. Since the beginning of the 2010 senior boys' volleyball season, the Raiders compiled a record of 34-4 in Halton play. Yet, the regional title had eluded them. This year, it appeared as though the Raiders were not to be denied. Aquinas had not dropped a set all season leading into Monday's Halton Tier 2 final against the Iroquois Ridge Trailblazers. The matchup had an eerily familiar look to it as the 2010 Halton final. That year, the Raiders cruised through the regular season without so much as dropping a set, only to have Iroquois Ridge upset them in the final. The Raiders made sure history did not repeat itself, though. Aquinas rarely trailed but still had to battle to win two hardfought sets, 25-22 and 25-21, over the Trailblazers. Iroquois Ridge had been the biggest threat to the Raiders' unbeaten run, pushing them to 25-23 in the final set of their regular-season meeting, so Aquinas coach Ron Szpakowski knew his team would be challenged. "We were outsized, so we have to vary our attack," he said. "Fortunately, we can attack from a lot of positions on the court. We're better when we get the other team moving horizontally, rather than them getting us moving vertically." The Raiders rarely had the same player score consecutive points. In one sequence in the second set, Jamie Bailey tipped the ball over two Ridge blockers, then Sam Costin and Owen Coulthard combined on a block, followed by kills by Adam LeClaire, Can Galea-Andrews and Coulthard. Even though the Raiders' spot in the provincial high school AA tournament was secured regardless of the outcome, Coulthard said winning the Halton title was still a priority. "It was pretty important to us," he said. "We lost in the final last year so getting back here and winning was something we See Senior, page 33 PHOTOS BY MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER St. Thomas Aquinas won both the Halton senior and junior boys' volleyball Tier 2 titles Monday at Sheridan College. In top photo, senior Raiders player Owen Coulthard dives to attempt a dig. In bottom photo, Aquinas juniors Jake Szpakowski (6) and Owen Huntington try to block Garth Webb big hitter Nick Howie (10) as the Chargers' Brandon Khan looks on. They hadn't lost a set all season in Halton junior boys' volleyball play, and the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders weren't about to start in the regional final. Aquinas weathered a 7-0 run by a determined Garth Webb Chargers squad late in the second set of Monday's Tier 2 championship game at Sheridan College, finishing the contest with a 6-1 run of its own to earn a 25-21, 25-23 victory. Raiders coach Peter Szpakowski attributed the turnaround to some strategic adjustments as well as a poise that isn't always characteristic of unbeaten squads. "We've played a few (close games) this year and that helped us down the stretch," Szpakowski said. "And we were here (in the Tier 2 final) last year and lost. Our kids weren't intimidated." Not even when the Chargers, seeking their first-year school's inaugural championship in any sport, rode the powerful hitting of Nick Howie to seven straight points and a 22-19 lead in the second set. "We had a nice run, but (the Raiders) just seemed to get to everything," Webb coach Mike Lorenz said. "Their coverage was really good." So was the Raiders' balance. Aquinas may have featured Jordan Figuiera, a setter for the 2011 national under-14 champion Pakmen Volleyball Club, but the rest of the Raiders' starting six also brought a lot to the court. Jake Szpakowski moved to setter this season in order to allow Figuiera to attack, and Figuiera delivered the title-clinching kill Monday. Jeff Rakic and Owen Huntington contributed strong two-way play at the net, and Billy McPherson and Michael Franko were key cogs as well. "Each starter brings their own little taste," said the 14-year-old Figuiera. "We have some good setters, some good hitters and some good passers. A pretty good team." The Raiders needed to be in order to defeat a Chargers squad that won 10 matches in a row after losing to Aquinas in the opening week of the season -- all in spite of the fact that Webb's gymnasium See Garth, page 33