By Rick Assad
If all things are considered with regard to the high school boys’ volleyball programs, all three local schools have strong traditions.
Burroughs has seen very good at times and even excellent while Burbank and Providence are looking to having productive campaigns for the 2023 season.
The Bears went an historic 29-4 in all matches and 10-0 in the Pacific League and went to the CIF Southern Section Division II quarterfinals, losing to eventual division champion Tesoro in three games.
Burroughs has won the league banner 13 straight seasons under the leadership of Joel Brinton, the coach, and have a solid group and they include Benji Ly, Mark Hopkins, junior opposite hitter Henry Carlin and senior defensive specialist Carlos Tupua-Stiefel.
Others on the squad for the Bears are Owen Dixon, Ryder Tafoya, Rocco Melilo, Quinn Ziegert, Gavin Arnold, Isaac Hernandez and junior libero Charlie Gerard.
Also on the team are Nathan Mameya, Nathan Spratt, senior Andy Zeytounian, Christian Lim, Jae Kung, Caden Shrode and Dillon Barnes.
Burbank finished its season 3-12 overall and 2-8 in league action and didn’t make the playoffs under James Coward, the coach, who was also a player for the Bulldogs.
Here is the Burbank boys’ volleyball team and they are seniors Sattwik Banerjee, Ben Forster, Austin Kim, Taiyo Nakao, Noah Lintag and Makana Say.
Banerjee was on the Bulldogs’ varsity basketball team and was the team’s best scorer and rebounder and stands 6-3. Banerjee is athletic and a good jumper.
Forster played football and was a wide receiver/tight end and a defensive back who stands 6-5 and can also leap with a good pair of hands.
There are several juniors, and they are Akash Kodavati, Kai Cruz, Ryan Viyar and Ian Villaflor.
Providence under coach Mario Adriano has five seniors, and they are outside hitter Brett Adams, outside hitter Gunnar Petrone, outside hitter Charles Wertenberger, middle blocker Mark Karroum and middle blocker Nicholas Stoliker.
the Pioneers are coming off a 17-10 overall mark and a 5-3 record in the Prep League and lost in the Division V wildcard match to Mark Keppel, 3-1.
Providence will have three juniors on the squad, and they are opposite hitter Jalen Velasco and setter Ethan Bornoff.
Two sophomores fill out the club, and they are opposite hitter Ronin Pingul and libero/defensive specialist John Fayad.
