Six local athletes from schools in Manteca, Lathrop, and Ripon showcased their skills Wednesday night in the second South Sac-Joaquin Section Boys Volleyball Senior All-Star Match at Ripon Christian.
The senior standouts starred for their high school teams during the season but competed for Team Tameling, coached by Ripon Christian head coach Kevin Tameling. Team Tameling competed against Team Peterson, made up of athletes to the south in the section coached by El Capitan head coach Karen Peterson.
Both teams put on a display of fantastic volleyball in a match that saw Team Tameling fall in five sets, 25-17, 22-25, 19-25, 26-24, and 15-12.
“What an incredible event this was to be a part of,” Tameling said. “A lot of work went in to making this come to life, and the guys showed up and really played their hearts out, really proving why they were selected to be here.”
Gabriel Fa’ali’i of Lathrop, Rob Hevener and Jesus Gomez of Manteca, Trent Olmo and Cade Fullmer of Ripon joined Ripon Christian stars Mason Tameling and Darren Van Groningen in what was the last opportunity for the graduates to showcase their skills at the high school level.
“Honestly, I just felt incredibly lucky to be here playing tonight,” Gomez said. “My season did not end the way I wanted it to, and I’ve been battling some sickness, but it was important for me to come out and compete in front of my friends and family one last time.”
Gomez and Team Tameling jumped out to an early one-set lead thanks to strong defense and attack from Mason Tameling (five kills) and Fa’ali’i (six kills).
“It felt really good to get back out there and compete against the best around, Fa’ali’i said. “I’m not sure I’ve been on the court with this many talented players at once before, and it was a really fun challenge to compete with them.”
Team Peterson, led by match MVP Diego Burgos of Downey, battled back to take sets 2 and 3 and set up a win-or-go-home fourth game for Team Tameling.
Van Groningen and the rest of Team Tameling decided that the fourth set would not be the last of their high school career as they battled back from down 23-20 to win 26-24, with the key play being a Van Groningen kill set up by former rival Fullmer of Ripon facing a Team Peterson match point.
“It was fun to just get out there and make plays,” Van Groningen said. “When I started my high school career, I had no idea I’d eventually be competing against the best around in a game like this. Obviously, wish we would have come out on top, but they are a really good team over there.”
In the deciding fifth set, Team Tameling capitalized on the momentum gained in the fourth set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead. Adrian Gutierres of Waterford would lead Team Peterson back however, taking the decider 15-12 in what was a classic match.
“This part of the section has come a long way from where it once was 10 or so years ago when it comes to boys volleyball,” Coach Tameling said. “Tonight was just another step in building upon a rapidly growing sport in this area.”
