1 of 8

The Parkrose boys volleyball team celebrates a point scored in the 5A state boys volleyball quarterfinals against Hood River Valley on May 24 at Olympus Sports Center in Hillsboro. (Austin White/Portland Tribune)

The Franklin/McDaniel boys volleyball team celebrates a point scored in the 6A state boys volleyball quarterfinals against South Salem on May 24 at Olympus Sports Center in Hillsboro. (Austin White/Portland Tribune)

Parkrose junior Truman Martino sets up his serve in the 5A state boys volleyball quarterfinals against Hood River Valley on May 24 at Olympus Sports Center in Hillsboro. (Austin White/Portland Tribune)

Franklin/McDaniel junior Given Unwin digs a ball in the 6A state boys volleyball quarterfinals against South Salem on May 24 at Olympus Sports Center in Hillsboro. (Austin White/Portland Tribune)

Parkrose senior Finn Sathrum, right, celebrates a point scored with his team in the 5A state boys volleyball quarterfinals against Hood River Valley on May 24 at Olympus Sports Center in Hillsboro. (Austin White/Portland Tribune)

Franklin/McDaniel senior Archer Mist yells after scoring a point in the 6A state boys volleyball quarterfinals against South Salem on May 24 at Olympus Sports Center in Hillsboro. (Austin White/Portland Tribune)

Parkrose senior King Ozier goes up for a spike in the 5A state boys volleyball quarterfinals against Hood River Valley on May 24 at Olympus Sports Center in Hillsboro. (Austin White/Portland Tribune)

Franklin/McDaniel junior Given Unwin goes up for a spike in the 6A state boys volleyball quarterfinals against South Salem on May 24 at Olympus Sports Center in Hillsboro. (Austin White/Portland Tribune)

Surrounded by fellow boys volleyball squads at the 2025 state tournament Saturday, May 24 at Olympus Sports Center in Hillsboro, the Parkrose High School squad kept things light.

Big points against quarterfinals opponent Hood River Valley were met with a little dance move as the team came together for a huddle, smiles on all six players faces.

Playing loose is where the Broncos are at their best according to head coach Joseph Porche, and they’ve been that way for most of the season with a now 19-2 record. Those losses both came against 6A opponents.The No. 1 seed in the 5A tournament, Parkrose swept HRV 25-17, 25-12, 25-14 and followed it up with a 3-1 win (18-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-20) over Silverton in the semifinals.

Now they’ll have a chance to keep the party going for the whole summer when the Broncos matchup against Summit in the 5A state title game set for 6 p.m. Sunday, May 25 in Hillsboro.

“We’re a very emotionally driven team, we’re playing around, having fun, serious but not too serious,” Porche said. “We’re engaged but we’re light about it, and it helps make it easier for the kids.”

Most of the Broncos, like every club at the state tournament, are still relatively new to the sport as its growth in Oregon and the whole country continues to boom.

The OSAA approved boys volleyball to be an emerging activity back in October of 2023, providing a little more structure for the sport to operate within schools but still missing the full backing from the association and member schools.

Now finishing up its second season as an emerging activity, the sport has completed its two-year provisional period and could be sanctioned by the OSAA next fall.

Boys volleyball had 68 teams participate this season with teams from up and down Interstate 5, central Oregon and out to the coast.

They all came together for the state tournament, creating an environment for the sport in Oregon that hasn’t been matched.

“When I grew up, there were literally four club teams,” Parkrose senior captain Finn Sathrum said. “To see all these boys come out and a lot of athletes, it’s amazing, I can’t express it enough.”

Sathrum is the boys volleyball veteran of his Broncos crew, using his dominant serve game to help win points, diving for spiked balls and putting away a few kills.

But most importantly, him and fellow senior captain Jonas Ankrum are the two who the team plays through emotionally.

“Those two, we go where they go,” Porche said of Sathrum and Ankrum. “If they’re loud, having fun, being loose, our team feeds off that energy. … (Sathrum) has been playing ball a long time, so he’s able to lock in and also regulate his emotions pretty well.

“(Ankrum) has come a long way. It was instilling confidence in him to be himself as well.”

The rest of the squad is made up of Korey McKeaver, Alex Shichalin, Truman Martino, Zander Huhnholz, Masi Lolo, Noah Tancuan, King Ozier and Juni Napaa.

This group has provided plenty of pride for The Rose this year as athletics has been a bit of a tough lane to find success in recent years.

Being on the state stage to rep the Broncos is another source of pride and a reason why the sport has become so important for the Northeast Portland community.

“I think that my school is often underrepresented,” Sathrum said. “To come out here and be the No. 1 seed, it feels great to represent my school and have some Bronco pride.”

They’re not alone in that vein as the co-op Franklin/McDaniel team has been another Portland standout, grabbing the No. 4 seed in the 6A state tournament.

The Lightning had a slow start but shook it off to sweep No. 5 South Salem in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 25-22, 25-23, 25-22. They took on No. 1 Central Catholic in the semifinals and pushed the Rams to the limit, dropping the match 3-2 (20-25, 25-11, 25-17, 26-28, 15-8).

Still, the 2025 season has been an excellent coming out party and the fun isn’t over as they’ll take on Nelson at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 25 for third place.

“It’s been really fun, it’s a great group of guys and I have my setter Archer (Mist), he plays on my club team so we already had that chemistry,” junior outside hitter Given Unwin, who is a student at McDaniel but plays for Franklin, said. “We went 16-0 in the regular season, so that’s pretty cool and it was really fun.”

Unwin is another player with some experience coming into high school, and his love for the sport has grown to the rest of his teammates who continue to grow, despite most of them being at another school.

“(Unwin) is definitely the breadwinner of the team in terms of scoring and he does a great job of getting the attention away from our other hitters,” Franklin head coach Mykel Caruso said. “It’s not just on the court that he’s performing. Off the court and as a leader he’s doing really well.”

At the heart of it, that’s what high school sports is all about: Having fun and building characteristics in student-athletes that they can take with them for the rest of their lives.

If the OSAA needed any more proof on what the sport is doing for high schoolers, whether they come from an athletic powerhouse school or not, the state boys volleyball tournament provides an excellent example.

Whether or not Parkrose or Franklin win on Sunday doesn’t really matter. They’ve displayed what the sport can do for any student looking to get active in a new experience or help keep them active when their other sports aren’t in season.

Sunday will be the culminating moment of 2025, but it could also be the launchpad for years of boys volleyball to come as a possible sanctioned sport in Oregon.

“There were 68 teams this year, that’s really cool, it’s by far the fastest growing sport in the U.S.,” Unwin said. “I think that, especially if the club players come back and keep showing them what’s up, it’ll just keep growing. People will be more interested and I think it’s just going to keep growing exponentially.”

PETERS TOWNSHIP – In many ways, the WPIAL Class 2A boys’ volleyball championship could have been considered a clash of the Titans. Both teams entered the finals, held at Peters Township’s AHN Arena, with a 15-1 record.  

by Kevin Cody

Mira Costa High defeated Huntington Beach High at Mira Costa Saturday night to win the CIF Division 1 Southern California Regional Volleyball Championships. 

Next Saturday, Costa will compete against Archbishop Mitty, of San Jose, for the first ever, CIF State Boys Volleyball title at Fresno City College.
Mira Costa previously defeated Huntington, just a week ago, in a hard fought, five-set match to claim the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title.

At home this past Saturday, Mira Costa swept Huntington 3-0, but the win was more difficult than the score suggests.

In the first set, Huntington jumped out to a 5-1 lead. Mira Costa Coach Greg Snyder called a time out when Huntington extended its lead to 9-4. But Huntington continued to control the game by containing Costa outside hitter Cooper Keane. 

Coach Snyder’s second time out, when the set appeared lost, at 17-8, produced better results. Costa spread around its offense, and outscored Huntington 13 to 4 to finally catch Huntington, at 21-21. A dink by Costa setter Andrew Chapin gave his team its first lead, prompting Huntington coach Craig Pazanti to call a time out. But that opened the door for Costa to deploy its home court advantage. Fans began singing along to Queen’s “We will rock you,” blasting over the sound system. Costa had 28 consecutive home court victories coming into Saturday night.

After the time out, Huntington tied the score at 24-24. But a kill by Keane, and a block by Alex Heins completed Costa’s surge, 26-24.

Despite Huntington’s first set collapse, the second set was similarly close, though the early scoring was reversed. Huntington trailed until tying the score 14-14, and then taking the lead after chasing down a ball deflected past the back of the court. Huntington held on to the lead until 20-19, when it served into the net. Huntington didn’t score again.

Costa retook the lead by chasing down an errant pass, and then scoring the next five points. 

Huntington continued to be competitive in the third set, causing eight lead changes before Mira Costa took the lead permanently, at 8-7. From there Costa’s Keane, Grayson Bradford and Heins scored seemingly at will. Costa won the decisive match 25-16. 

Keane finished with 16 kills and Bradford with seven kills and 5 blocks. ER

This past weekend, DreamHack Dallas was the ultimate nostalgia trip, thanks to a viral tweet asking gamers for their first-ever gamertags. The responses ranged from cringe-worthy to very creative to downright uncensored er**middle-school-ish!** The official @Dexerto account got the ball rolling with *”What was your first gamertag and why?”* while also hyping up the @AmericasNavy booth at the event, where they were giving away freeifying personalized gamertag bags and merch.

No bonding really happens faster among gamers than the sharing of memories about their first and utterly embarrassing user IDs. And the replies? Pure gold! From *”Osama Bin Laggin”* (I swear it’s true) to *”MonkeyChunk13″* (“I was 13 and retarded,” in the words of the contributor), the thread turned into a time capsule of immensely questionable choices! And then we had jewels like *”xX_ShadowSlayer_Xx”* (twelve-year-old edgelord spirits), *”THA CARTER 712″* (shoutout to fans of Lil Wayne), and *”Russian rock sloth”* (I honestly do not want to explain).

Bragging worthy names came into this thread too. For example, *”Waterdragon”* needs no more explanation other than to define a Socom 2 player who has a passion for water polo and dragons—what a legendary combo! *”defaultking,”* on the other hand, was a Halo player who proudly used the default settings. Then we have someone going by *”xxSn1p3rJesusxx”* who duly confessed, *”12-year-old me thought headshots were holy.”* Fair enough.

Of course, not everybody was bold enough to spill the beans. *”Yea… not gonna self-report,”* one user said, while another made the joke, *”If you didn’t have either ‘xX Xx’ or the word sniper in it, what was the point?”* Tru.

Meanwhile, @AmericasNavy’s booth at DreamHack Dallas was ready for the sudden formation of a gathering spot for the gamertag history spillers and for those seeking free swag. The promo set a witty military-themes gamertag, with one particular user giving kudos to *”Thalassic”* for sounding like *”a sea monster you’d fight in an RPG.”* Very appropriate, given that the Navy, after all, is involved.

However, not every response was all-fun-and-games. Some skeptics dismissed the tweet as *”self-doxxing”* or *”propaganda,”* while others just went right ahead and slipped into the lists with no explanation (*”BadAssNath”*—we see you). Then came the youthful chaos of *”NoobMaster3000,”* a name that, as the user admitted, *”peaked in middle school.”* So relatable.

DreamHack Dallas will be there all weekend. If you do find yourself there, Navy’s booth might well be worth a visit just to have your gamertag and a free bag immortalized. For those that will decide to stay on the sidelines, this big-time thread is a reminder: your first gamertag will haunt you forever, no matter how cool you think you are.

So, what was it? (No judgment…okay, maybe a little.)

By: Paul Schofield


Saturday, May 24, 2025 | 6:13 PM

Previous

Next

Derry senior Sophia Mazzoni and Greensburg Central Catholic junior Jerry Davis achieved their goals Saturday at the PIAA track and field championships.

They returned to Westmoreland County with gold medals.

It was the second gold for Mazzoni in the Class 3A javelin and a first for Davis in the 2A 400 meters at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.

Mazzoni, who was the reigning Class 2A champion, won the 3A title with a throw of 158 feet, 2 inches. The winning toss came on her third attempt.

Mazzoni came into the competition seeded third behind two girls — Blue Mountain senior Makayla Keck and Perkiomen Valley junior Ava Flicker — who had thrown more than 160.

But neither girl could stay with Mazzoni. Flicker finished fifth with a throw of 145-5, and Keck did not make the finals. Her best throw was 132-10.

“Being where I was placed, it definitely got my wheels turning,” Mazzoni said. “It gave me something to fight for, just having that determination and just knowing what I can do and trust the process.

“Knowing I had two girls in front of me, I wanted to set the tone and get a throw out there. I executed it well. I got a throw out there, and I made them nervous.”

Mazzoni said she was glad to throw first, especially with the wind.

“The wind was there,” Mazzoni said. “It affected all of us. I wanted to set the tone; I did it well.”

The Auburn commit said she will miss nationals and head to college in late June.

“Having this competition was a good warm-up for college, and I think that is what I needed going into the SEC,” Mazzoni said. “I got to compete against some new faces.”

Davis dominated the 400. He was seeded first, and he finished first.

He had a strong kick during the final 25 meters to pull away from the pack.

“Always at the end there, I know if anyone’s near me, I definitely got them in the last 100,” Davis said.

Davis placed fifth last year, but he came back more determined.

“It was great to see improvement, even meddling in the 200,” Davis said. “I have a right will of not to lose. I was hoping to break 47, but the wind was too strong.”

Davis also got a seventh-place medal in the 200.

Greensburg Central Catholic seniors Eva Denis and Sasha Hoffman each returned home with two medals. Both were on the 1,600 relay team that placed seventh.

Denis also placed fifth in the 2A 100 dash, and Hoffman was seventh in the 100 hurdles.

“I am pleased,” Denis said. “I felt I ran my hardest. I am definitely proud how far I came. I was seeded sixth coming in.”

Hoffman showed her mettle competing after twisting her ankle and slicing her foot during the 300 hurdles preliminaries.

She placed eighth in last year’s state meet.

“Despite the injuries, I still wanted to compete and get a medal,” Hoffman said. “I was proud how I finished.”

Norwin shines

Senior Ryan Schiller did not return home with a gold medal, but he did earn a silver medal and won a bet.

Schiller finished second to Palmyra’s Tyler Burgess, who broke a state record in the Class 3A 110 hurdles.

The bet was with junior Annie Czajkowski, who finished fifth in the 3,200 and lowered her personal record by 32 seconds.

Czajkowski was hoping to run in the 10:40s. She ran a 10:32.

She broke the school record held by Leslie Kovach of 10:35 in 2009.

“I was seeded 27th and started in the second row,” Czajkowski said. “I never want to say the 3,200 is my race, because I did not enjoy running (it). It was so fun (Saturday). I loved the slow burn.”

Schiller said he, Annie and a couple of teammates went to a creek near the Shippensburg campus.

“She told me she’d be mad if she did not break 10:40, and I bet her $20 her she’d run faster,” Schiller said. “I am happy for her.”

Senior Brandi Brozeski placed seventh in the 100 hurdles.

Penn-Trafford senior Aidon Lett returned home with an eighth-place medal in the 300 hurdles.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Derry Area, Greensburg C.C., Norwin

A $5,000 donation from the local Safeway is helping Prince Rupert Middle School replace volleyball equipment that’s nearly 30 years old.

“Volleyball is such a growing sport in the community,” said Safeway’s manager Ranjit Gill. “Kids are starting off playing younger, and it’s getting pretty big.”

He noted that middle schoolers have shown a strong interest in the sport to their coaches, and their involvement is helping to keep them more positively engaged.

The school applied to the supermarket’s community funding program, which periodically reviews and supports meaningful projects in the city.

“Volleyball is a sport that our students are able to pursue that allows them to develop sportmanship and teamwork while improving their mental and physical wellbeing,” said the school. 

The school is optimistic that by providing the right environment and resources to develop students’ skills, they can participate in competitions across the province. This would be a valuable opportunity, especially for students who have not otherwise had the chance to experience new places.

“As we work to grow the sport of volleyball in our community, it is imperative that we have safe, modern equipment for our students,” said the school.

Gill was happy to share that the school will now be able to replace the aged setup with new nets, poles, balls and other training equipment.

“It’s a valuable thing to invest in our community,” he said.