Local Digest: Hilmar, Stone Ridge take volleyball titles; Gregori runner tops at subs

It wasn’t long ago when the Hilmar High volleyball team was in the underdog role, trying to unseat Sonora as a section champion.

It took four empty trips to the finals before the Yellowjackets came away with the program’s first blue banner last year.

Hilmar made it back-to-back titles on Saturday with a dominant performance, sweeping No. 2 seed Colfax 25-20, 25-11, 25-16 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship game at Ripon High.

“I think being the favorites made it even more fun,” said junior Olivia Peterson, who finished with 11 kills and three blocks. “We were the No. 1 seed. We were supposed to win. It was fun coming in on top and trying to be the team to stay on top.”

The Yellowjackets had too much firepower for Colfax (24-8).

Peterson, Mikela Labno and Kayley Souza controlled the net, powering balls all over the court. Labno had some thunderous kills. The sophomore, who was a state qualifier in the high jump, put on an aerial display, finishing with 12 kills.

Setter Emma Martin ran the offense efficiently, recording 30 assists to go along with three aces and three blocks.

Hilmar went on big runs in every game, including a 7-0 run in the first game to open up an early 14-6 lead. The Yellowjackets closed the second game with an 8-1 run and used a 7-1 spurt in the third game to stretch out to a 19-10 lead.

Hilmar completed its run to a section title by going 4-0 in the playoffs without dropping a single set.

“This team is really good at focusing on the next day, the next game,” said Yellowjackets coach Patti Harris, whose team improved to 32-12 this season. “This team has always done. It’s like we have to play this team so they’re focused on that team. It’s always been one thing at a time.”

Here’s the scary part for the other Division IV teams in the section. Hilmar graduates just two seniors. Both are defensive specialists, which means the entire offense returns.

“We just jell so well,” Labno said. “We get along great. There’s no drama. We’re so blessed to have most of the team coming back next year. Fingers crossed that we can do this all again.”

STONE RIDGE TAKES TITLE: As the ball touched the floor, the Stone Ridge Christian volleyball team embraced into a bundle of hugs. Finally, the Knights could celebrate. Finally, the blue section banner was coming home.

Sophomore Sasha Stillman delivered the finishing block that Forest Lake Christian couldn’t return to give the Knights a 25-17, 25-18, 22-25, 26-24 victory in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI championship game at Ripon High on Saturday afternoon.

“We were all so nervous and then we were all so happy,” said SRC sophomore Maartje Vander Dussen, who had a monster match with 24 kills and 30 digs. “We just gave each other hugs. We’re so thankful for each other. We’re so thankful for what God has blessed us with.”

The Knights had contributions across the floor with Sadi Tucker and Sasha Stillman adding nine kills each. Broke Wareham finished with 17 assists and 21 digs. Libero Laura Hooker also finished with 31 digs.

This was Stone Ridge Christian’s fifth appearance in the section finals in six years. The first four times the Knights (28-6) settled for the runner-up trophy, losing to Turlock Christian twice and Woodland Christian twice.

“This was a lot of hard work,” said Knights coach Ken Shaw as he was holding the blue section banner. “The girls played well. I’m going to enjoy this. We’re going to enjoy this all weekend.”

HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY: Led by Madison Kackley, the Gregori High girls were among several Stanislaus District squads and individuals who remained alive for a cross country state title.

Competing in Angels Camp at the Sac-Joaquin Sub-Section Meet, Kackley won the Division I race, finishing in 18 minutes and 33.5 seconds, nearly a minute ahead of runner-up Mavleen Mann of Pitman.

There were five varsity boys and girls divisions competing, along with younger classes. The top 10 teams and top 10 individuals not on those teams qualified for the next level.

The Gregori boys (fourth) and girls (fourth) team both qualified for the Section meet next week in Folsom. The Modesto boys (ninth) and Pitman girls (fifth) also qualified in Division I.

In other highlights:

• In Division III, Oakdale’s girls qualified sixth.
  
  
• In Division IV, Hughson’s boys (seventh) and girls (third), and Ripon’s girls (ninth), advanced.
  
  
• In Division V, the Central Catholic and Waterford boys and girls, and the Big Valley Christian boys, also advanced.
  
  

There were several other teams, along with scores of individuals from the district, who advanced.

The CIF State Meet is Nov. 24 at Woodward Park in Fresno.

To see the full results, go to www.cifsjs.org.

STANISLAUS STATE CROSS COUNTRY: The women’s team tied a school record on Saturday with a second-place finish at the California Collegiate Athletic Association meet in San Bernardino.

While Chico State won the title, the Warriors matched the school’s second-place finishes in 2012 and 2013.

Chico State’s Karlie Garcia won the 6-kilometer race in 20 minutes, 58.1 seconds. Cynthia Mejia was the top finisher (eighth) for the Warriors at 21:55.9. Kendall Herod was the next best Warrior finisher at 21:58.1 for ninth overall. Both received all-CCAA medals.

Bee Staff Reports contributed to this story.

This story was originally published November 3, 2018 at 5:48 PM.