As of May 3rd, 2023, the Boy’s Volleyball season has finally come to an end. Our boys were knocked out in the quarter-finals by the powerhouse team, Hart High School. This very high school went on to win it all and obtain the CIF Champions title. Although the season has ended, it was most definitely a season to remember. The boys had achieved many accomplishments throughout the spring by placing in the top 5 of the Vegas Invitational, placing 4th place in the Karch Kiraly Tournament of the Champions, becoming undefeated Golden League Champions, and many more. Not only did they win games, but they also made endless memories with each other throughout the season. 

As a recap for the season, the boys league record was 14-0, and their overall record was 27-9 in all the tournaments they competed in. This season was a very successful one for the school, as it showed the top dogs in the volleyball community that the High Desert could compete with them. The Royals continued to compete with multiple Division 1 and Division 2 powerhouse teams, such as San Marcos, Valencia, and West Ranch, in a number of tournaments. Their coach, Ryan Dunham, always told the boys before every tournament, “Let’s go show them what the High Desert can do!” Playing against these higher-level teams better prepared them for the obstacles the CIF Playoffs would throw at them.

In the first round of the Division 4 CIF Playoffs, the Royals went on to play against Jordan High School from Long Beach after Jordan had just clinched the Wildcard game. The match took place at our home gym on April 20th, 2023. The Royals showed zero mercy and took the win in a speedy three sets.

The second round took place on April 29th at Tustin High School. Tustin High School was much more of a formidable opponent than the previous team; they were a much better defensive team  than Jordan. From the start, Tustin immediately showed the Royals whose gym it was. It was a slow start for the Royals as they tried to work around Tustin’s defense. However, in the end, the Royals’ attack power and ball control were too much for Tustin to handle. The Royals swept the Tustin boys in three sets, setting them up to play at home for the quarter-finals against Hart High School.

The quarter-finals, taking place on May 3rd, was a game to remember for both teams. The gym was absolutely packed to the brim, filled with supporters from both schools (but the Quartz Hill supporters were louder). Our boys showed Hart what they were made of in the first set and won it 25-20. From here on out, the two star players of Hart, Owen Dauphner and Hank Kaufman, decided to turn the game around and send their team to the Semi-Finals. Dauphner broke a school record by getting the most kills in one game; He made 40 kills on the Royals. 

Now that the season is over, it is officially time for summer. The boys will return to summer training and prepare for the next school season. The team is losing nine seniors, so they need to take their training seriously if they want to stand a chance in next year’s playoffs. The boys wanted to give a huge thank you to all the supporters who showed endless love and support throughout the season.