Undefeated teams come head to head in a contentious showdown

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Granite Hills players would say that there were some poor calls by the refs — and their fans will use stronger language to the same effect. Their Helix opponents would say it was about the energy levels from the start. Neither team would be entirely wrong.

In one of the most contentious boys volleyball games of the season, the Helix Highlanders (6-0) hosted the Granite Hills Eagles (15-3) on Friday, April 13. Both teams were undefeated in league when they gathered on the court. The Eagles left with a ‘one’ in the loss column.

Granite Hills players would say that there were some poor calls by the refs — and their fans will use stronger language to the same effect. Their Helix opponents would say it was about the energy levels from the start. Neither team would be entirely wrong.

In one of the most contentious boys volleyball games of the season, the Helix Highlanders (6-0) hosted the Granite Hills Eagles (15-3) on Friday, April 13. Both teams were undefeated in league when they gathered on the court. The Eagles left with a ‘one’ in the loss column.

“We both want league title, so we both worked hard today,” said Helix head coach Linda Brown. “Our energy level stayed really high and that was key.”

Energy was certainly present, both on the court and in the stands, which boasted a full showing from both the home and visiting teams. A very vocal faction of audience members took as much issue with referee calls and game plays as the athletes on the court, making the match as heated as it was riveting.

Granite Hills head coach Dana Zeno said the pervasive negative energy in the stands and from the referee box can sometimes seep onto the court.

“You hope it doesn’t, you don’t want it to, but they’re high school teenagers,” he said. “They let their emotions overrun themselves sometimes. It’s a lesson learned.”

The 3-1 victory for the Highlanders was close. The first game was a point-by-point match, each team scaling up the scoreboard in truest volley fashion. Granite Hills pulled away in the final few minutes for a 25-22 win. The loss seemed to ignite the Highlanders who came back with vengeance, leading for most of the game, though only by a few points, and finally sealing the win in a nail-biting 28-26 victory. The Highlanders took the final two games, 25-20 and 25-17.

Helix senior Jonah Leota said the win came down to who could keep their head in the game.

“Our team played really well,” he said. “We basically had a lot more energy than the other team did.”

The Eagles waned substantially after losing game two. Whether the ruptured momentum or the contested referee calls were to blame for their slump or not was unclear. On more than one occasion, calls from the box conflicted with the line referees, which further incited Granite Hills fans and frustrated Eagles athletes. Several yellow cards were dealt to Granite players in the fourth game, only serving to further their catawampus performance.

Granite Hills senior Moses Smith said he respects Helix, but took serious issue with the referees calling the match.

“Helix is a good team,” he said. “But their refs are otherwise.”

His brother, Xsavier, said he was proud of the Eagles for pushing through despite adverse conditions.

“It was pretty hard,” he said, “but we fought as hard as we could and I like that about our team.”

Both brothers said their team’s nerves got the better of them leading to mistakes that cost them the game.

Granite Hills hosts Helix on May 2 for the second half of conference, a game which will likely decide the league title.

Brown said she is confident in her team to carry through the rest of the season.

“They’re fairly young,” she said of her team, “but they have a great passion for the game. We can only get better.”

Next time, however, the Eagles will have the home court advantage, which Zeno said he hopes will make a difference.

“Helix is a good team, and playing Helix at home was going to be tough,” he said. “We feel like we’re one of the better teams in our division and as long as we’re playing at the top of our game and keeping the energy up, we’ve got a good chance of winning.”

Zeno said the Eagles, who have nine seniors this year, have done well so far, with only a handful of losses in a long season of competitive play.

Despite the “heartbreaker” match against Helix, Zeno said he expects his team to continue holding steady.

“We got a little too excited,” he said. “It was a big match, things didn’t go our way and I think it overwhelmed a couple of the guys. We’ll be ready next time.”

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