At Bishop Amat, History Beckons

Football is king at La Puente Bishop Amat. Always has been. But the boys’ volleyball team may get its chance to make campus history.

The Lancers hope to play in the first event held in the parochial school’s $5-million Student Activities Center, the focal point of a campus restoration project that is scheduled to be ready when the Southern Section boys’ volleyball playoffs begin on May 12.

A five-game loss at Los Angeles Cathedral on Wednesday dropped Bishop Amat one game behind the Phantoms in the Del Rey League standings -- and that much further from its goal.

Most observers believe that for Bishop Amat to be assured of a first-round home playoff match, the Lancers must win the league title -- something they’ve never done.

A second- or third-place finish means winning a tough match or two on the road to return to the Center.

Bishop Amat (13-2, 5-1 in league) has climbed to No. 6 in the Southern Section’s Division IV coaches’ rankings with a roster that has only three seniors and nobody with any playoff experience. The Lancers finished 1-19 last season.

But the players say this is a once-in-lifetime opportunity for volleyball to be recognized alongside the girls’ basketball team, which won the Southern Section Division III-A title this year, and the football team, which has sent 22 players to the NFL.

“Around here, people hear you go to Bishop Amat and they ask, ‘How is the football team?’ ” said Robert Yrene, a junior middle blocker.

Added Don Gangcuangco, a junior outside hitter: “Everyone says, ‘You have a volleyball team?’ We want to show them something.”

Construction of the Student Activities Center has dominated the campus’ landscape since ground-breaking in February 2003, and its amenities would make a small college envious. The fully-air conditioned, two-story edifice includes coaches’ offices, locker rooms, a training room, meeting rooms, a state-of-the-art weight room and a school cafeteria.

Earlier this week, workers scurried to install flooring and to finish painting, while the hardwood playing surface had the smell of fresh varnish. The gymnasium can accommodate three regulation-sized volleyball courts and seat up to 1,800.

Principal Merritt Hemenway was a sophomore at Bishop Amat in 1962 when the campus’ tiny Tate Duff Gymnasium opened. It was demolished to make room for the Center.

“I’m probably the only person alive to have seen the first event and last event in that place,” he said as he walked through the new cinder-block building, stopping occasionally to snap digital photographs.

“The need for this new place was huge. We couldn’t fit our student body into the old gym.”

Hemenway’s eyes grew wide when he walked onto the playing surface for the first time.

“I think it is wonderful motivation for the team,” he said later about the completion of the facility. “I’m anxious for it to be ready for them.”

For the last two seasons, the varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams have held staggered practices late into the evenings inside an oversized tent that resembles a circus big-top.

Located within view of the Center, the temporary facility has been shared by the boys’ and girls’ volleyball and basketball teams. It is barely adequate at best. In the winter, the inside temperature can be downright frigid.

“It’s so cold, you can see your breath,” first-year volleyball Coach Chris Lozano said. “I guess it’s better than being out on the asphalt, though.”

Thieves have found the tent to their liking too. Last season, about $800 worth of balls were stolen, prompting Lozano to carry equipment home each night.

During a recent practice, however, players were making do. They wore shirts with “Losing is Not An Option” emblazoned across their chests and reiterated their desire to make school history.

Yrene said the Center’s first event figured to be more of a spectacle than anything else. But that’s all right with him.

“Maybe even some people who don’t know the sport will turn out to see us,” he said.