Centennial claims D10 junior volleyball title
GUELPH – For the first time in almost a decade the Centennial Spartans got to hold aloft the District 10 high school junior boys’ volleyball championship plaque Monday at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre.
“This team has been really consistent, a really great team and they worked so hard all season,” Centennial coach Kieran Duby said. “It’s just incredible to have this as our final (D10) result.”
The Spartans swept the Orangeville Bears 3-0, winning the sets by scores of 25-20, 25-20 and 25-5 for their first win since 2013 when they won for the third consecutive year.
“We weren’t sure (what to expect) as we had an upset with this team in the season,” Duby said. “All the kids were very nervous, but I was pretty confident because we had some good practices beforehand. I felt they could do it.”
The Spartans had finished atop the six-team league with a 9-1 record, the loss being a 3-0 defeat to Orangeville in their final regular-season game after they had secured a first-place finish.
While playing at the GGAC can often lead to the teams being a little in awe of the facility, the Spartans seemed to combat any nerves they had of playing there.
“They got here early, they warmed up and they got a feel for the gym,” Duby said. “They were pumped. They were excited to be here. It didn’t really throw them off, I don’t think.”
Centennial had an undefeated regular season last year, but were ousted in the semifinals. There was no season in 2020 due to the pandemic and Centennial was down near the bottom of the league in 2019 and they were eliminated from the quarter-finals.
The Spartans lost to the Bishop Macdonell Celtics in the 2018 final and were knocked out of the semifinals in 2017, 2016 and 2015 and were swept in the final in 2014.
Centennial advances to the CWOSSA AAA championship tournament at RIM Park and Forest Heights CI in Waterloo Thursday.
“We’ve been there before, too,” Duby said. “It’s a high-level tournament and it’s really fun. The kids have to play hard if they’re going to win.”
The Spartans are to play preliminary pool matches against Grand River at 8:30 a.m. and Owen Sound at 9:45 a.m.
Top two in each of the two three-team pools advance to the semifinals at 1 p.m.
Semifinal winners are to play in the 5:30 p.m. final at Forest Heights CI.
- Guelph Sports Journal