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Los Angeles Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Sage Hill boys' volleyball secures state title with sweep in Division III final
Sage Hill boys' volleyball swiftly put up one program first after another over the last two seasons, the crown jewel arriving Saturday in the inaugural state championships. When the hardware was handed off to Sage Hill coach Jordan Hoppe, he raised the trophy — shaped like the state of California — above his head. His players surrounded him and began chanting in celebration. This was the pinnacle of a two-year run led by a transformative force in Jackson Cryst, the 6-foot-10 outside hitter headed to Long Beach State. Cryst had 23 kills, three service aces and 1½ total blocks, as Sage Hill swept San Francisco International 25-19, 25-16, 25-23 in the CIF State Division III final at Fresno City College. 'It was a business trip, and I think everybody took it really seriously, and that's why we got the result that we wanted,' said Cryst, who transferred from Long Beach Millikan for his junior year. 'Nobody came in there to mess around, and I think that showed in the clean sweep.' Sage Hill (23-11) finished the season on a 13-match winning streak, which also saw the Lightning claim a second section title in as many seasons by beating Santa Barbara on the Dons' home court in five sets in the Division 4 final. 'The season's over now,' Cryst added. 'I think for so long, it was always on to the next game. Even after winning CIF, we knew the job wasn't finished. To finally be able to know that the season was over, we did all we could and we won and we reached that goal, I think that was super motivating for everybody. It was honestly a huge relief. If you look at everybody on match point, it was almost like a huge sigh of relief that we did it.' Junior Connor Gapp, who split his playing time between the positions of setter and opposite, supplied 24 assists, six kills, three aces and 1½ blocks. 'It's kind of like a symbol of what we've done,' Gapp said of bringing home a state championship trophy. 'Winning felt the best, and touching that trophy, maybe taking a few pictures with my teammates, my coaches, my trainer, my family, especially, that was really sweet to be with all of them. 'The trophy will always be up at Sage. The banners will always be there. It will be nice to look at that next year, maybe give us some motivation to do something similar in the future.' Junior setter Jonathan Ye contributed 14 assists and an ace. Junior outside hitter Ryan Manesh added 11 kills and an ace. Junior middle blocker Carson Ellis had two kills and two block assists, and junior opposite Dylan Han chipped in with three kills. Manesh struck a similar chord to Gapp, noting the 'journey' that led the Lightning to the championships was what was most important to him. He recalled the team bonding experiences, such as playing card games on the bus. 'These memories are going to last a lifetime,' Manesh said. 'Obviously, winning the finals, that has a special place in my heart, but like the team, the team culture, the team bonding, just this team as a whole, I'm going to remember them for the rest of my life.' Santino Scanlon had eight kills, an ace and a solo block to lead International (27-8). Lyndon Song and Liam Wilson each produced five kills, and Colton Klingebiel added four kills and two blocks. Hoppe reflected on the title, saying 'it's very cool to be on the right side of history.' 'To be able to do that is just an incredibly special achievement and honor,' Hoppe said of bringing Sage Hill its first state title in a male sport since the school opened in 2000. 'To be remembered in the gymnasium with a banner up there and just to think about the guys on this team, and just the total buy-in of all the individuals on this team. It was incredible. 'Clearly, we had arguably one of the best players in the country, Jackson Cryst, but that's just one player. Our team was able to really buy in and elevate their game to support and to provide the right team chemistry to make this thing happen.'
Los Angeles Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Sage Hill surges into second straight boys' volleyball final
Sage Hill hadn't had a storied history in boys' volleyball when it swept in and claimed the program's first CIF Southern Section championship last year. It will have a chance to add to the trophy case this weekend, but it took a lot of improvement in the second half of the season and a bit of luck for the Lightning to get the opportunity to find out if they could indeed strike twice in the CIF finals. Deep into the spring, Sage Hill was still trying to find itself, buried behind the eight-ball from a slow start that had as much to do with who wasn't on the floor as anything else. Jackson Cryst, named the CIF Division 5 Player of the Year in the Newport Coast-based private school's run to the title last season, was a late arrival because of yet another deep postseason run — this time on the basketball court. The basketball season carried into the first week of March, as the Lightning reached the Division 3AA section final with Cryst serving as their two-way difference-maker at center. Sage Hill lost the title game to Palmdale Knight, then made a first-round exit in the regional playoffs. Even the return of Cryst, who had an eye-popping 54 kills against San Marino in the Division 5 championship game a year ago, didn't spell immediate success for the Lightning. A five-game losing streak to open the season had made it an uphill battle. Struggles within the Pacific Coast League only added to the pressure. Sage Hill's 11-11 record with a week remaining in the regular season had its playoff hopes teetering, the standard of a .500 record or better for at-large qualifier consideration very much in play. All the Lightning have done since then is rattle off seven wins in a row, including a five-set win to kick it off versus Portola on April 17. Junior outside hitter Ryan Manesh described the agonizing moment of the team waiting on the release of the playoff brackets to find out if their season would continue. 'We knew that we had to [get] the wildcard,' Manesh said. 'I was actually on the CIF Southern Section Instagram page. I knew that the brackets would come out that day, so I was like refreshing, refreshing, and then I saw it popped up. … I saw we were in the bracket, and as soon as I saw it, I sent it to the group chat, and then we all got super pumped.' The Lightning were 'hungry to repeat' as CIF champions, Manesh said, and with a straight-sets win over visiting Crean Lutheran on May 10, Sage Hill earned a spot in the Division 4 final. Sage Hill (18-11) will travel to Santa Barbara (20-10) for the championship game, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday. 'There was an 'aha moment,' I think, really at that Portola game, where it's like, 'We're back.' We're still the same team that won CIF last year, but even better — different tools,' Cryst said. 'It just took time to find it, so it didn't feel like, 'Oh, we have to win this game, and this game, and this game.' Every game, we're finding something new. Every game, we're developing and becoming tighter knit as a team.' Cryst has committed to continue playing in college at Long Beach State, which beat UCLA to win the Division I national championship on Monday. The senior outside hitter said he watched Long Beach State take down Pepperdine to advance to the title game on Saturday, before stepping onto the court for the Lightning's semifinal against the Saints. He was taking notes. 'Something I've learned from [Long Beach State coach] Alan Knipe, he actually said it in his press conference before the semifinal, you don't want to peak at the beginning,' Cryst said after the win over Crean Lutheran. 'You want to be able to play your best volleyball at the end, and I think that's what we're doing. I think every game it's getting better. I think [the Saints] were pretty similar to [Simi Valley] Royal, who we just played on the road, except this time, we swept them instead of winning in five [sets], so I think we're on a really good trajectory.' Cryst provided 20 kills and three service aces in a 25-21, 26-24, 25-18 win over Crean Lutheran. Manesh tacked on 13 kills, including the match-clinching blast from the right pin. The Lightning have found their form under the tutelage of first-year coach Jordan Hoppe, a Wisconsin transplant who competed locally at Concordia University in Irvine. Hoppe also addressed the quarterfinals win at Royal, calling the feeling 'amazing' to emerge victorious in the fifth set. 'Our hearts were racing,' Hoppe commented. 'You could tell it was very tangible in the gym, just being an away crowd. We just knew the stakes. Funny enough, Dylan Han, our right side [who] played libero last year, he steps up and makes two just absolutely icing-the-cake blocks. … That's the stuff you hope for when you have a team, [for] guys to step up and make those moments happen.' Manesh shared his thoughts on where the Lightning have improved with Hoppe at the helm. 'I think one thing that he's completely changed this year is our offense,' Manesh said of Hoppe. 'He's taught us to run quicker balls, and that faster offense has given us one-up [or] no-up blocks, and that's allowed us to play at a way higher level than we did last year.' Connor Gapp, a pin hitter during the title run last year, took on setting duties this season. The versatile junior contributed 23 assists, six kills and two block assists. 'I'm used to being on the right side, I play beach a lot, so my hands are good enough to set,' Gapp said. 'I decided to put my head down and learn how to set, so I could end up helping set this season. It's where I needed to be, so I could help our team the most. … It's hard to adjust and learn a new position in such a short time. That's maybe why we were losing a lot of the games at the start. … It ended up being fun.' Junior Jonathan Ye also distributed 15 assists to go with two aces, his contributions affording the Lightning the opportunity to keep Gapp available as a hitting option in a few rotations. Han had four kills and a solo block, Carson Ellis totaled 2½ blocks, Justin Liu registered 1½ blocks, and Ethan McNutt supplied a pair of aces. 'I didn't have a lot of time with the guys to really develop and form the culture that we're forming,' Hoppe said. 'Now that we kind of are going, it's going good, and it's just only getting better and better.'
Los Angeles Times
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Sage Hill boys' volleyball sweeps Hillcrest to start CIF repeat bid
Sage Hill romped to take its first step in what it hopes will be another CIF Southern Section boys' volleyball championship run, and the focal point — again, and of course — was Jackson Cryst. The 6-foot-10 senior outside hitter, who last year transformed the Lightning from a middling program into something of a powerhouse, delivered 18 kills and served up five aces as the No. 10 seed swept visiting Riverside Hillcrest, 25-18, 25-20, 25-16, in Wednesday evening's Division 4 opener. Cryst is a devastating presence, all over the court, but if Sage Hill (15-11) is to conquer four more foes — starting with a second-round trek to Pasadena Poly (15-3) on Saturday at 4 p.m. — it's because it's no longer all about him. First-year head coach Jordan Hoppe's 6-2 spread offense, far beyond last year's set-it-for-Cryst approach, requires contributions from everyone. It took a rugged regular-season campaign, with playoff aspirations teetering until the finish, to get things right, and now the Lightning is humming: four wins in a row, starting with a five-set comeback win two weeks ago over Portola, a pivotal result in its at-large playoff berth. 'I feel like we're playing our best volleyball,' said the Long Beach State-bound Cryst, last year's Division 5 Player of the Year. 'All year, it just kind of felt so off. Last year, we had this confidence, this chip on our shoulder. We didn't really have that [this year] until I'd say the Portola win. '[That] was just a moment for us where you had to find it. You know, you either do it or you don't.' Hoppe, an AVP Beach pro who played at Orange Coast College and Concordia University in Irvine and was a Lightning assistant coach five years ago, has brought to the program superior tactical and organizational sophistication, emphasizing team over superstar. Playing vital roles are outside hitter Ryan Manesh (six kills, three aces and a block against Hillcrest), Connor Gapp (four kills, one ace, one block), who has transitioned from All-CIF opposite to chief setter in the 6-2 scheme, and fellow junior Dylan Han, an All-CIF hitter now at opposite. '[Last year there was] too much reliance on some of our bigger guys, and we needed to find a way to spread the love, spread the ball,' Hoppe said. 'We've been able to really grill that in practice and make sure guys were really working hard, getting the middles involved, getting everyone involved, giving everybody a chance to get going. We want those guys as involved as possible.' It was evident in Wednesday's victory, in which the Lightning shared the ball while using mid-game runs (11-4 in the first set, 8-2 in the second, 14-6 in the third) to pull away from Hillcrest (23-8), an Ivy League co-champion. The service game, led by back-to-back Cryst aces twice in the second set, often handcuffed the Trojans' attack, and the net battle was won largely through Cryst's work limiting standout sophomore outside hitter Evan Eugene (10 kills). A good first step. More will be needed. 'We can't get it in our heads that it's going to be a breeze again because we were able to win a championship last year,' Manesh said. 'Now we're in a higher division. So we have to push even harder. ... I think we have it in us.' Cryst said it's 'easy to be, like, 'Oh, we won it last year, we'll just do it again.'' 'It's easy to be complacent,' he said. 'But this is a whole new year, new offense, new guys. And I think that's also inspiring for some guys, because they're, like, 'It's my turn now to get this. I don't just have to be behind Jackson hitting a bunch of high balls.' 'It would be a really good team win.'
Los Angeles Times
25-02-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Sage Hill boys' basketball ekes out another close game in semifinals over San Gabriel Academy
Sage Hill's run to a second CIF Southern Section boys' basketball final in three seasons has been defined by determination and grit. It took multiple clutch shots with the clock running down to send Sage Hill to the semifinals, and in an equally dramatic — and possibly more poetic — scene on Saturday, the Lightning ran out the final 19 seconds on defense without surrendering a shot. All that is to say that Sage Hill, a 45-43 winner over San Gabriel Academy in a semifinal at home over the weekend, has proven its mettle in close games. Sage Hill (18-9) now faces its CIF finals hurdle, a stage it has been on twice and is still looking for the first title in program history. The Lightning will take on Palmdale Knight (25-5) in the Division 3AA championship game on Saturday, March 1 at 8 p.m. at Edison High. 'I think it's just really grit and how bad everybody wants it,' said Jackson Cryst, a senior center who had 14 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. 'At the end of the regular season, we went through a lot of tough losses. I think that bad taste in our mouth really led all the boys to just want it really bad. 'Knowing in those moments, in those tough losses, what it really takes, what made us lose, and then why we're winning now. That feeling, that feels good, and even though in that moment you might not want to take that extra two steps that you have to to get that shot, get that rebound, make that cut, our coaches told us, and we've learned through the playoffs that it's worth it — every time.' Knight, the Golden League champion, has excelled in close games, too. The Hawks have won their last three games — against Hesperia, Los Angeles Price and Pasadena Maranatha — by a combined six points. Sage Hill's story is similar, all four of its playoff wins being decided by six points or less. The Lightning have fully committed to the defensive end of the floor, averaging just 40 points against in the postseason. Cryst, who is 6-foot-10 and led Sage Hill to a CIF title in volleyball as a junior, has committed to Long Beach State for that sport. His ability to defend without fouling has been a crucial piece of the puzzle. 'We take advantage of the things a lot of people don't see,' Sage Hill coach D'Cean Bryant said. 'For him defensively, we tell him to 'stay down, stay down, stay down,' and then he goes up, we crack down. … That just comes from volleyball, right? He's got to time that jump, he's got to wait, he's got to see the block.' Cryst relished the opportunity to have a true battle in the paint with San Gabriel Academy sophomore Mahamadou Diop, a 6-foot-11 center who led the Eagles with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. 'I prefer this to a game where I'm going to be one-against-three, where I'm getting triple-[teamed], and when I'm not really getting to guard a true big,' Diop said. 'It was fun to bang down low, be able to get after it. He's a great player. He's really strong, really big, so I think we look forward to moments like this, where it could be challenging.' Outside of a game-tying basket in the closing seconds of regulation in the quarterfinals, sophomore guard Tre Cradle largely struggled due to foul trouble against Tustin. Cradle bounced back with 10 points, including a second-half dunk, in the semifinals. He added two blocks, one of which came against Diop to end the first half. 'I didn't score a whole lot,' said Cradle, reflecting on the quarterfinal. 'Our coach always says, 'You always have the right time to make plays,' whether it's a rebound, a game-tying bucket, a steal, whatever it is. You're going to have your moment. It's just a matter of time.' Sage Hill forged another fourth-quarter comeback, rallying from a 39-35 deficit and surrendering just one basket — a three-pointer by Marquise Humphreys — in the final four minutes. James Karahalios added 10 points for the Lightning, and Carson Ellis chipped in with two steals. Cryst had the go-ahead score on a driving layup with just over a minute to go, then a key block on Diop on the next defensive possession. When teams have had the Lightning down late, it hasn't phased them. Cryst believes preparation — both in practice and on the schedule — has contributed heavily to success. 'Our practices right now, they're not too difficult, because we built the capacity,' Cryst said. 'Throughout the whole season, we're building, we're building, we're building because you don't want to be the best in the beginning of the season. You want to be the best now — in playoffs, in the championship. 'We've built the capacity to play these gritty games, these dirty games, and know what we have to do. That's why we don't want a cupcake schedule. We don't want easy games in the beginning of the year — blowouts. We want to build the capacity to play in games like this.' CIF Southern Section Division 3AA semifinals Sage Hill 45, San Gabriel Academy 43 San Gabriel Academy 13 - 10 - 14 - 6 — 43 Sage Hill 8 - 13 - 14 - 10 — 45 SGA — Diop 14, Humphreys 11, Hsu 5, Wang 5, Moreau 4, Traore 4. 3-pt. goals — Humphreys 3, Hsu 1, Wang 1. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None. SH — Cryst 14, Cradle 10, Karahalios 10, To. Akomolafe 5, Ellis 2, Gomez 2, Yun 2. 3-pt. goals — To. Akomolafe 1, Cryst 1. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None. Also in the CIF Southern Section boys' basketball playoffs: Pacifica Christian Orange County 84, Corona Centennial 80 (2OT): EJ Spillman had 33 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the visiting Tritons on Friday in a Division 2AA semifinal game. Hudson Reynolds added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Pacifica Christian (23-7), which will face Fairmont Prep (21-9) in the championship game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Toyota Arena in Ontario. The Tritons and Huskies split the San Joaquin League title in the regular season. Michael Noel scored 11 points for Pacifica Christian. Logan Stewart added eight points and 10 rebounds. Pacifica Christian will be competing in its third CIF final, looking for its first section title. The Tritons previously met Fairmont in the Division 4AA final in 2019, a game the Huskies took by a score of 52-49 at Godinez High.
