Sage Hill boys’ volleyball secures state title with sweep in Division III final

Sage Hill boys’ volleyball swiftly put up one program first after another over the last two seasons, the crown jewel arriving Saturday in the inaugural state championships.

When the hardware was handed off to Sage Hill coach Jordan Hoppe, he raised the trophy — shaped like the state of California — above his head. His players surrounded him and began chanting in celebration.

This was the pinnacle of a two-year run led by a transformative force in Jackson Cryst, the 6-foot-10 outside hitter headed to Long Beach State.

Cryst had 23 kills, three service aces and 1½ total blocks, as Sage Hill swept San Francisco International 25-19, 25-16, 25-23 in the CIF State Division III final at Fresno City College.

“It was a business trip, and I think everybody took it really seriously, and that’s why we got the result that we wanted,” said Cryst, who transferred from Long Beach Millikan for his junior year. “Nobody came in there to mess around, and I think that showed in the clean sweep.”

Sage Hill (23-11) finished the season on a 13-match winning streak, which also saw the Lightning claim a second section title in as many seasons by beating Santa Barbara on the Dons’ home court in five sets in the Division 4 final.

“The season’s over now,” Cryst added. “I think for so long, it was always on to the next game. Even after winning CIF, we knew the job wasn’t finished. To finally be able to know that the season was over, we did all we could and we won and we reached that goal, I think that was super motivating for everybody. It was honestly a huge relief. If you look at everybody on match point, it was almost like a huge sigh of relief that we did it.”

Junior Connor Gapp, who split his playing time between the positions of setter and opposite, supplied 24 assists, six kills, three aces and 1½ blocks.

“It’s kind of like a symbol of what we’ve done,” Gapp said of bringing home a state championship trophy. “Winning felt the best, and touching that trophy, maybe taking a few pictures with my teammates, my coaches, my trainer, my family, especially, that was really sweet to be with all of them.

“The trophy will always be up at Sage. The banners will always be there. It will be nice to look at that next year, maybe give us some motivation to do something similar in the future.”

Junior setter Jonathan Ye contributed 14 assists and an ace. Junior outside hitter Ryan Manesh added 11 kills and an ace. Junior middle blocker Carson Ellis had two kills and two block assists, and junior opposite Dylan Han chipped in with three kills.

Manesh struck a similar chord to Gapp, noting the “journey” that led the Lightning to the championships was what was most important to him. He recalled the team bonding experiences, such as playing card games on the bus.

“These memories are going to last a lifetime,” Manesh said. “Obviously, winning the finals, that has a special place in my heart, but like the team, the team culture, the team bonding, just this team as a whole, I’m going to remember them for the rest of my life.”

Santino Scanlon had eight kills, an ace and a solo block to lead International (27-8). Lyndon Song and Liam Wilson each produced five kills, and Colton Klingebiel added four kills and two blocks.

Hoppe reflected on the title, saying “it’s very cool to be on the right side of history.”

“To be able to do that is just an incredibly special achievement and honor,” Hoppe said of bringing Sage Hill its first state title in a male sport since the school opened in 2000. “To be remembered in the gymnasium with a banner up there and just to think about the guys on this team, and just the total buy-in of all the individuals on this team. It was incredible.

“Clearly, we had arguably one of the best players in the country, Jackson Cryst, but that’s just one player. Our team was able to really buy in and elevate their game to support and to provide the right team chemistry to make this thing happen.”