DORCHESTER – Two years ago, the 7-10 BC High boys volleyball team established roots for a sturdy future by featuring its young players.
With a 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-17) win over previously unbeaten No. 10 New Bedford in a Div. 1 second-round matchup Wednesday night, which qualified the program for its first state quarterfinal trip, the No. 7 Eagles (20-2) saw that potential blossom to another new height.
Seniors were at the forefront, led by Mason Cleary (13 kills), James Shriver (nine kills, two blocks) and Grayson Kamadeu (four kills, four blocks). They’ll now get a chance to avenge their 2022 first-round loss against No. 2 Newton North on Friday at 4:30 p.m., while New Bedford’s own tremendous turnaround ends at 21-1.
“This team has worked so hard for (this),” said Eagles head coach James Chen. “The sky is the limit. We know that when we are at our best, we’re one of the best teams out there. And we’ve played a schedule that backs that up.”
“It’s great because we’ve been working through this for like, the last four years,” Cleary added. “This is our second year at it again, running it back. So, that gives us just so much more motivation to even do better than last year, and we just did it. But now, we’re onto our next game, and we believe we can go all the way this year.”
Big runs in the first two sets were at the heart of a 2-0 match lead, in which BC High played formidably at the net while serving exceptionally. Runs of at least five straight points in each frame forced the Whalers into a deficit they couldn’t claw out of as errors seemed to snowball.
The Eagles really earned their stripes in the third set, though, when New Bedford setter Carter Barbosa (28 assists) finally got in a consistent rhythm with Juan Grau Montano (11 kills, two blocks), Nicholas Rosa (10 kills) and Nyron Foster (four kills) for the group’s most impressive stretch of the match. Their 8-3 deficit quickly cut down to 8-7, and the Whalers eventually tied things up at 13-13 as momentum drastically shifted.
But after a timeout, BC High flipped the momentum right back by outscoring New Bedford 12-4 the rest of the way.
“(New Bedford is) very talented, they had some really good kills there,” Chen said. “I think our schedule really helped prepare us for today. … That grit throughout the year, different combinations of just how the game might be played out – we’ve been in most situations already. We know what it feels like, and we’ve put together a great season in general, so we know how to win in those situations.”
Junior Liam Poole (four kills, five blocks), Kamadeu, Shriver and sophomore Ben Cleary (four kills, block) frustrated New Bedford’s hitters up front all the way until its hottest stretch in the third. Mason Cleary delivered timely kills to help close each set, but setters Martin Alvarez (18 assists) and Nevin Kannalath (13 assists) mixed up the attack plenty in a well-rounded finish.
All six of BC High’s aces came from different players.
“It’s so much better (that way),” Mason Cleary said. “It takes the pressure off everybody. And if everybody is doing their role, it’s only going to elevate the team to the next level. Especially against even tougher teams than New Bedford, and that’s what we’re going to need if we’re going to go far.”
