Chatsworth’s Wiessner Digs Robots This Time

Stephen Wiessner did not play for the Chatsworth High boys’ volleyball team in Saturday’s Tournament of Champions.

Instead, he was a member of the RoboChancellors.

The 6-foot-5 middle blocker was in Orlando, Fla., representing a team of 14 Chatsworth students competing in a robotics tournament.

The competition includes students from across the nation who have created, among other things, a four-foot tall robot that can be skillfully maneuvered by a human driver.

Wiessner left Wednesday morning and missed the volleyball tournament, although there was one definite perk in attending the robotics competition: He received five-day passes to DisneyWorld and Epcot Center.

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Harvard-Westlake Coach Jess Quiroz was at the tournament, but his team was nowhere to be found.

The Wolverines weren’t entered in the tournament. Quiroz was there to scout other Southern Section Division III teams, specifically Santa Ana Calvary Chapel and Newport Beach Corona del Mar.

Harvard-Westlake is ranked fourth in Division III. Corona del Mar is second, Calvary Chapel third.

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In pool four, there was a showdown in the Valley.

Palmdale beat Campbell Hall in the first game, 15-1, setting up an important second game, with the winner advancing to the tournament playoffs.

Campbell Hall won, 15-4.

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Score one for the City Section.

In three pool-play matches between City and Southern Section schools in the region, the City won four of six games.

Granada Hills swept Quartz Hill, 15-7, 15-11; Van Nuys split with Highland; and Hart split with Grant.

Van Nuys held leads of 13-8 and 14-13 in the first game, but couldn’t put Highland away.

“They’re a good team,” Van Nuys Coach Greg Wah said, “but we should have closed them out.”

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Subtract one from the City Section.

When Campbell Hall played Granada Hills in the first round of the tournament playoffs, the Vikings upset the higher-seeded Highlanders, 15-8.

Campbell Hall trailed, 8-3, before scoring the next 12 points. Their rallying cry? “Pride of the Valley.”