Jackson named tourney MVP
Spencerport rebounded from a first game loss to win three straight over Brighton to take the Class B boys’ volleyball Section V title and advance to the state regional round against the winner from Section VI.
With the Rangers leading in game one 5-1, the Barons went on a 12-3 tear to lead 13-9 before Rangers junior Eric Jackson three times pulled his team to within a point with two kills and an ace. With the score 18-17 in favor of Brighton, the Barons finished the first game victory with a 7-0 run to win 25-17.
“We played slow,” Spencerport and Class B Coach of the Year Aaron Austin said. “It was not our game – whether it was nerves or not I don’t know.
“I told them (after the game) that we need two bricks to build a house (referring to their championship last season) and to take it to them. If we lose that way, at least we go down fighting.”
The Rangers took it to the Barons indeed as they built a 6-0 lead in game two on a pair of kills by senior Jadon Gillette, an ace from Josh Rabidoux, a kill by senior Josh Hubbard along with a kill and a block by Jackson.
They built the lead to 13-4 on their way to a 25-14 victory to even the match 1-1.
With game three tied 5-5, the Rangers went on an 8-2 run thanks to consecutive blocks and a kill by junior Kiernan Crowley, kills from Jackson and Hubbard plus an ace by Gillette to build a 13-7 advantage.
Rabidoux dominated the rest of the 25-18 win with four kills and one ace while Hubbard added one block and one kill and Jackson a pair of kills.
The fourth and deciding game featured nine ties with neither team leading by more than two points. The Rangers eventually led 23-19 before the Barons rebounded to tie the contest 23-23. Spencerport twice were within a point of clinching the title before Jackson registered a kill to make it 26-25 Rangers and an out-of-bounds kill attempt by the Barons gave them the title.
“Amazing,” said tournament Most Valuable Player Jackson. “It feels good and took a lot of hard work. We competed with them and, in the end, pulled through.”
Rabidoux and Gillette joined Jackson on the All-Tournament Team.
Alex Caton and Hubbard each had a pair of blocks, Nathan Hueber seven digs, Rabidoux ten kills with five digs, Crowley five kills and Jackson a game-best 14 kills to lead the Rangers attack.
The championship marks the fourth in the 41-year history of the program and the first time they have won back-to-back titles. Their first Section V title was 1990-91 and the second 2001-02 before last season.
