Sports
Holy Redeemer tops Crestwood for Class 2A crown – Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice
SCRANTON – Holy Redeemer hadn’t faced much adversity during a dominant run to the District 2 Class 2A championship final.
The top-seeded Royals, the Wyoming Valley Conference champions, overwhelmed their opponents, losing only one set in 18 matches.
However, in the title showdown against No. 2 Crestwood, the fifth-ranked Class 2A team in the state, according to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association, got stung. The spirited Comets built a tidal wave of momentum and took the early lead.
Josh Rocha, the dynamic, hard-hitting senior, and his Holy Redeemer teammates would not be derailed. The Royals recovered, responded, and triumphed in a 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-14) win on Thursday night at Scranton High School to claim the team plaque and gold medals.
Holy Redeemer (19-0), which won its first title since 2021, will play the third-place team from District 12 on June 3. Crestwood (14-4), which gave a valiant effort, also qualified for the PIAA tournament and will play District 11 champion Southern Lehigh in the first round.
“This is awesome,” Rocha said. “It is my senior year and my last time playing with the boys. We knew that we just had to play together as a team, and we could come out with the win.”
Holy Redeemer, while showing its tenacity and ability to respond to pressure, turned to Rocha and a more intense attention to defense to win three straight sets.
Rocha’s ability to bounce off the floor and elevate is accentuated by a powerful swing. He slammed 52 kills that pushed his eye-popping total to 896 this season.
Jack Wasiakowski gave the Royals energy.
Even as they had to navigate through a frustrating first set, he continued to encourage them. He helped launch Rocha’s attack with a series of well-placed sets that led to 49 assists.
“They came out strong in that first set, and we were a little bit frazzled,” Wasiakowski said. “I think we figured things out, and we played the kind of ball that we have been working on all year.
“It really goes to show how deep this team is, and when our backs are against the wall, we play our best.”
Defensively, Holy Redeemer clawed its way back by thwarting more threats by Crestwood. Rocha had 10 digs, and Wasiakowski and Max Mohutsky each had eight.
Hayden Fleegle contributed 14 service points, and Mohutsky had 10 for the Royals. Brandan Delbalso and Korey Tang each had four blocks.
“This shows that we are resilient and that we play as a team,” Rocha said.
Crestwood, which suffered a 3-0 loss to Holy Redeemer during the regular season, got off to a good start with Thomas McLaughlin and JJ Stec slamming home winners.
After falling behind, 6-1, in the second set, the Comets fought their way back into the match, pulled even with Holy Redeemer at 15-15, and took a lead of 21-20 before falling, 25-23. Crestwood went toe-to-toe with the Royals again in the third set and had an 18-16 lead late, but couldn’t hold off Rocha, who carried the momentum to a fourth-set win where he had 12 kills.
“We watched a lot of film and got a handle on where Josh liked to hit, and I think that helped us come out with a win in that first set,” Crestwood coach Jeff Stec said. “Josh adjusted, but we kept fighting. We never stopped playing, and I have no regrets with how we played.”
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