HAGERSVILLE—The Hagersville Secondary School (HSS) Senior Boys Volleyball team has earned a place in the school’s history books, taking home a silver medal at the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association (CWOSSA) championships for the first time in the team’s history.
“As a group of guys that have never played volleyball outside of school, it was definitely hard to go against a group of guys that do,” shared Team Captain Xavier Willis, noting the team’s positive attitude helped them shake off mistakes.
“Volleyball is all about momentum; your opponents will always get good hits, but as long as you keep your head up and keep a positive attitude you will also get great hits against your opponents,” Willis explained.
Coaches Alastair Irvine and Carolyn Visser agreed that the biggest test is how well a team handles early lost points.
“We focused on the mental aspect of the game a lot in practice in parallel with technical development, as we played our best volleyball when the boys were having fun. Throughout the season they consistently became more positive, and this contributed to a lot of their success,” said the pair.
Willis noted he previously struggled with keeping the team positive, “but this year I have really learnt to keep it positive on the court. This skill has also given me patience on and off the court.”
Teacher advisor to the team Heather Grenville praised the team for displaying exemplary sportsmanship as well.
She said, “Although it’s always nice to win, it’s more important for me as a teacher to have a team that I am proud to stand beside because of their actions and attitude on the court.”
Irvine and Visser noted competing at CWOSSA was a season-long goal for the team, adding, “Watching the boys surpass this and perform beyond expectations made all of the early mornings worth it.”
Willis called the team the greatest he’s ever played on, noting, “There is no better team I can ask for, but the real heart of this team is really the coaches. I want to give the biggest shoutout to (Irvine, Visser, and Grenville)…. If these three didn’t support us throughout the journey we would not have made it that far.”
Irvine and Visser highlighted Grade 11 student Ryder Cripps for excelling as a middle blocker, noting, “He played a big role throughout the season and without his development and talents we would not have been as successful as we were.”
They also praised Willis and co-captain Luke Foster, saying of the pair, “They worked extremely hard throughout the season, as well as were strong role models for the rest of their teammates. Without their presence we would not have been as successful as we were.”
Recognizing the many aspects of a successful team, Irvine and Visser were grateful for Grenville’s ‘positive force’ building “strong relationships with the entire team. We appreciate that while volleyball may not be her specialty, the success of the team is heavily reliant on her support and dedication.”
To the rest of the team, they added, “Please continue to be the positive and wonderful gentlemen that you are. We are proud of your achievements on the court, but even more proud of the ones off the court. We were complimented at every tournament for your sportsmanship and manners, and it created a positive reputation for the school and city of Hagersville. Thank you so much for an amazing season.”
Grenville noted how these characteristics are expanding outside the team: “Some of the boys have been volunteering with the junior team…. Now, almost half of the boys are helping with one of the girls’ volleyball teams. They had a lot of fun during their season, and now they are inspiring the other student athletes to be the best volleyball players they can be.”
Willis concluded, “It is honestly an honour; I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group of yous. I completely love those guys…. It also feels amazing to represent Hagersville; I want people to know us as great individuals and amazing volleyball players.”
Congratulations to all involved on making school history and representing your community so well. For those returning to the team next season, we’ll be rooting for that gold!
