Highland Hits Wall at 50

After 50 consecutive league victories, Highland High finally lost its golden touch.

Littlerock beat the Bulldogs, 15-9, 12-15, 15-13, 15-6, in a Golden League boys’ volleyball opener Wednesday night at Highland, ending a streak dating to 1993.

Tenacious serving proved to be the difference for Littlerock.

Chris Gorny pounded down 17 kills despite a dislocated pinkie finger on his right hand, and Marc Mailander added 16 kills and eight aces for Littlerock (6-1), which won the biggest match in school history.

“We’ve been waiting our whole high school careers to do this,” Gorny said. “When we heard we were playing the first game here, we knew we were going to win.”

Chris Larson added 10 kills and seven aces for Littlerock, which already had confidence on its side after beating Highland, 15-5, 15-6, in the Saugus tournament two weeks ago.

Littlerock was fully aware of other events in the past, including a painful five-game loss to Highland last year in league play.

The Lobos led that match, two games to none, but lost the final three games and a chance for an upset.

There were plenty of flashbacks for the Lobos this time.

“We just kept saying, ‘Don’t get cocky,’ ” Littlerock Coach Preston Aldous said. “Last year, we got really excited and started playing soft.

“This year, a lot of veterans knew what happened last year and knew we were up, but we couldn’t be soft.”

Littlerock was strong at the end of the first game, pulling away from a 9-9 tie and scoring the final six points, three on aces by Larson.

Highland (3-2), however, wasn’t entirely ready to give up on the streak.

The Bulldogs rebounded in the second game with three kills by Mike Wagner in the final stages to tie the match, 1-1.

Highland led, 13-12, in the third game on a kill by Wagner, but Littlerock forced a sideout on a kill by Mailander. The Lobos scored the last three points of the game, the final coming on another kill by Mailander.

“That was pivotal, big-time,” Highland Coach Mike Bird said.

Tension escalated between spectators after the third game, when a Littlerock fan smashed a porcelain Bulldog statue being held by a Highland fan.

When the fourth game began after a delay to sweep the statue shards, Littlerock took an 8-2 lead and was never threatened.

Gorny, who hurt his finger on Saturday while blocking a ball at the Dos Pueblos tournament, hit left-handed the past two days in practice to save his hitting hand for Highland.

Highland setter Jody Shadrick sprained his right ankle on a trampoline last weekend and did not play.

Wagner had 14 kills and sophomore Jared Corpening added 10 for Highland.

“These guys were all in eighth grade or below when the streak started,” Bird said. “Fifty’s a good number [to end on].”