For the fourth time in the last four years, Barrhead Composite High School’s senior boys volleyball team are provincial champions.
The Gryphons captured the 3A Boys title in Strathmore Nov. 22 to 23, downing zone rivals Morinville 25-19 and 25-20 in the finals. Coach Rod Callihoo spoke with the Barrhead Leader Nov. 28 and says facing Morinville in the final round was the best way to end the year.
“They [Morinville] beat us in zones and they have had the better of us all year. There’s a bit of a rivalry between our two schools, largely because we are both so competitive and we knew they were going to be one of the favourites heading into the championship. They were ranked No. 1 because of the way teams were seeded in the north central zone,” Callihoo said, noting Morinville defeated BCHS in eight previous matches throughout the year.
Callihoo said the team beat Westlock in the semi final of zones earlier in November, enabling the team to participate in provincials, adding he is very happy with the results.
“We knew that winning the banner was a real possibility for us, especially if we played at the top of our game. We knew that because of the calibre of the other teams we’ve seen, in competing with the other schools and it shows how well our zone ranks within the entire province,” he said.
BCHS’ success marks the fourth time the school has placed in or won the event outright.
“I think we’ve been able to compete at that level for about 15 years now and I think it is something that is very beneficial to our program,” Callihoo said, noting it speaks to the level of ability of past players in supporting future team members.
“Whether it was the playful rivalry between the teams or the provincials themselves that contributed to our success, I don’t know. Maybe it came down to the realization that fellow teammates and siblings had competed at this level before and come away successful. Either way, the boys challenged themselves and I’m very pleased by their performance.”
Callihoo said the team has had issues with consistency throughout the year.
“Generally, we were fairly competitive, but we all knew that if we played with more consistency and brought more determination to the game, we’d come away successful. I always tell the boys that you have to find somebody to play for. If you play for people around you or for a specific event, the calibre and the chemistry between the players increases greatly and it shows.”
Heading into the tournament, the senior team faced Strathcona Christian Academy first in their pool and lost all three matches.
“We also lost to Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI) but after that, our luck started to change,” he said, adding Grande Prairie’s PWA, HD Cody and Cochrane High School were all defeated in two-game sets.
The playoffs were a different story, Callihoo said.
“We played Louis St. Laurent from Edmonton and while we lost the first match 24-26, we beat them 25-14 and 15-11 in the other two games. After that, we beat LCI in the semi-finals 25-23 and 25-21 respectively and faced Morinville for the banner.”
That set, Callihoo said, ended 25-19 and 25-20 for BCHS.
“Because this was the final tournament, you know you’re going to get the best teams in each zone. In terms of gameplay, it is a lot closer than it otherwise might be in regular season play. Highschool volleyball might be finished for the year but it doesn’t get much better than this, winning another banner for our school,” Callihoo added.
