By Joe Harris | Special to the Post-Dispatch

Prato, June 16, 2025 – The Azzurra U16s have been crowned Tuscan water polo champions. This is the verdict issued by the final of the Tuscan championship of the category, which saw the Prato team prevail in the end: coach Bonechi’s boys can rejoice after the 10-6 imposed on their rivals Siena Pallanuoto. In the first two periods the match proved to be very balanced, with the Prato athletes who then raised the pace and consolidated the result. Thus closing a more than positive season in the best possible way. The year for the club chaired by Alessandro Bartolozzi is not over: Daniele Santini’s first team drew 9-9 against Jesina a few days ago in the first leg of the Serie C championship playoffs and next Saturday the Marche will play for the qualification to Serie B. Regardless of what the final outcome will be in any case, what is certain is that from the U16 and from the youth sector in general interesting results continue to arrive. And Santini can also take notes with confidence, in view of the future.

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UNIVERSITY PARK — What makes a championship-winning team?

Pure talent? Cohesion amongst players and staff? Experience? Luck?

There’s no correct answer. No evidence to fully comprehend what it takes to reach the summit. But over a given high school athletic season, programs align the pieces, check off the boxes and identify the values that make the engine hum.

In rare instances, the segments click into place. Blossom into a gold-medal outcome.

I had the privilege of covering both PIAA boys volleyball champions this spring. On Saturday, I assisted in the coverage of Manheim Central lifting its first Class 2A title in program history. At my previous employer, I thoroughly followed Cumberland Valley, the Class 3A victor.

The Barons imposed their payback at Penn State University’s Rec Hall, dispatching District 10 champion Meadville 3-1 — by scores of 21-25, 25-23, 25-16 and 27-25 — after settling for silver against the Bulldogs in 2024. The Eagles, completing an undefeated campaign, swept District Seven stronghold North Allegheny in 25-21, 25-21, 25-12 fashion.

“It’s probably the calmest I’ve been in a championship match,” Central coach Craig Dietrich said, “because they knew what they needed to do. Very few small adjustments we made today, but I trust them very greatly.”

Two teams. Two identities. The same result.

What Central thrived in, CV was shorthanded. What the Eagles succeeded in, the opposite for the Barons.

Don’t twist it, there was plenty of crossover to go around. Senior leadership, for example.

Central started five seniors. CV fielded six. Most logged significant minutes as underclassmen and juniors, the springboard to their fruitful ending.

“We said (to each other), ‘Stay focused. Stay in the moment. Stay present,’” Barons senior outside Reagan Miller said. “Because the state championship only happens once a year. So that was kind of the message throughout playoffs.”

COLUMN: Manheim Central will enjoy view from the top of PIAA Class 2A volleyball mountain

Speaking of the postseason, that’s where the Barons and Eagles’ one-way ticket to gold mapped separate routes. Manheim met its adversity in the Lancaster-Lebanon League final, suffering a 3-1 setback — its only loss of the season — to Cedar Crest. Cumberland Valley, which hadn’t dropped a set all spring, was momentarily derailed when Central York stole a game in the District Three title tilt.

Where did the eventual PIAA champs recenter? In each match following their respective delay.

The Barons used Crest’s clipping as scripture and won their ensuing 18 sets. The Eagles, albeit a set loss to Governor Mifflin in the state semifinals, ousted Unionville, Abington Heights and the Mustangs with game victories of 25-7, 25-9, 25-10 and 25-11 nature.

Central and CV were vulnerable to the knockdown. But they regained anchorage, raised the flags and set sail with little turbulence.

“We’ve all been in that situation before,” Barons senior setter Dylan Musser said. “… It’s just something we know that we can do, that we’re capable of. And we showed it.”

“Showing it” can come in all shapes and sizes. From the front row to the back corners of the court. The Barons and Eagles hugged the parallel line of talent.

Manheim landed six players on the District Three 2A all-star list, as did CV in the 3A contingent. For L-L Section Two, Miller and Musser shared MVP honors, and six Barons earned all-star admission. In the Mid-Penn Commonwealth, Eagles setter Isaiah Sibbitt was tabbed Player of the Year, leading six all-division selections.

It doesn’t get more linear. Covered from the front, back, middle and outside. No empty gaps, no holes to exploit.

“Our whole team knew what was at stake,” Musser said. “For us seniors, this was our last shot. We just gave it our all.”

Desire was the gulf between Central and CV. Not that the Eagles didn’t have the gold-medal itch. But the Barons’ itch, after two prior whiffs and a rematch with the Bulldogs, became a scratch and then a scar.

Central clotted the proverbial bleeding Saturday. All the aches, cramps and throbs of last year’s sting were bandaged. No more “what if?”

“We wanted this all year, getting back to the state ‘chip, and we knew we could,” Musser said. “Playing Meadville made it even better. You get that rematch, and then especially beating them. It feels amazing. We felt we were the better team last year, but it didn’t go our way. But this year, we just battled through it and got our revenge.”

CV didn’t have the dejection, the sorrow of a state-championship loss hanging over its head. The Eagles’ last final appearance — and only other — came in 2008 when they outlasted Central York in five sets. Manheim Central joined Hempfield — a 10-time PIAA champion — and Conestoga Valley (1983) in L-L boys volleyball royalty.

“It’s a very small group of teams that have done it,” Dietrich said. “It is pretty cool to bring it back, and I think the community really rallied around us and supported us.”

The question still stands: what makes a championship-winning team?

The Barons and Eagles don’t have the answer key, but they had the tools to solve the riddle. The means to reach the summit.

Two teams with two identities, authoring the same result.

MOSES LAKE – When the Moses Lake School District 2024 educational programs and operations levy failed for the first time, coaches like Mavericks volleyball coach Krystal Trammell were unsure what would happen if it failed a second time. What they were certain about was their dedication to the kids at Moses Lake High School.  

“I don’t think there was one coach or one program that wasn’t in to do it for the kids,” Trammell said. “We knew exactly what we needed to do. We just didn’t know how to go about it, how the teams were going to look, our transportation equipment, etcetera. But relying on each other really helped things kind of materialize.” 

After the levy failed a second time, Trammell knew it was real and had to figure out how the team was going to have a volleyball season. She said the hard work of the coaches at Moses Lake and the Community Athletics and Activities booster helped the season come to fruition.  

Trammell said parents stepped up and helped organize transportation for the athletes to get to games and tournaments throughout the fall season. When they had to figure out how to have a season, it was clear that their culture was in jeopardy, according to Trammell. Over the years, she said they have worked hard to build a culture of students first, athletes second.  

“When that opportunity could have been taken from us, we turned to each other, our parents, our coaching staff and our athletes, and came together as a group stronger than before. We were going to do everything in our power to make the program even better and get more hands involved. That’s exactly what happened with our parents and athletes and coaches,” Trammell said.  

The Mavericks volleyball team managed to put together one of their best seasons in a long time, according to Trammell. They finished the season with a 12-6 record and secured a highlight 3-1 win over West Valley, which Trammell said was their first in program history. Trammell could see something shifted in her players’ last season that made a difference.  

“Program-wide, the girls had something to prove. They were not going to let the levy failure and the fact that we almost didn’t have a season ruin anything. I think they came out more on fire to show everyone ‘no, we’re not going to stop, and this is what we’re going to do,’” she said.  

Trammell said her team excelled with court awareness, mental toughness and utilizing everything they have worked on over the last couple of years. She said she liked what she saw from her team last season, and it makes her excited for this upcoming season since they will have nine returning players. She said they will benefit from coming in with more knowledge and experience.  

However, now that a new levy was passed this year, they will still have another season without a budget until January 2026. Though Trammell said it will be business as usual heading into the season. She said their experience last season will help them navigate this season more effectively as they learn more throughout the summer.  

According to Trammell, she is confident they will have another season after seeing all of the support they got last year. She is confident in her community, she said, and believes in Mavericks athletics. In the meantime, Trammell plans to prepare for the fall season the same way she always does.  

“We’re just concentrating on the workouts and our summer league and preparing for the season, and we’ve been through it once, and so going through it again, it won’t be as difficult this time,” she said. “It brought all the coaches together and I think sportsmanship is different. I just think everyone came together as a whole league instead of just one community, one town, one school.”  

    Krystal Trammell breaks down a huddle with her players before a game. Trammell said her players played with something to prove this season in the wake of the 2024 levy failure.
  

    Mavericks Maddy Bond prepares for an incoming ball during a set. Bond made the All-League first team in the Big Nine conference.
  

    The Mavericks’ Makenna Stuart serving the ball in their game against Sunnyside last season. Stuart was an honorable mention in the Big Nine All-League team announcements last Fall.
  

    The Mavs’ Kardyn Martinez spikes the ball in their game against Sunnyside last season. Martinez has been All-League first team the last two seasons, and Trammell hopes to see that continue heading into her senior season this Fall.
  

Before the start of the 2025 MLS season, pundits and analysts across the media had their fun with predictions, hot takes, and potential storylines ahead of the season. No one, however, could have predicted the early success of Major League Soccer’s newest member, San Diego FC.

Like most expansion teams in American sports, predictions about SDFC’s inaugural season generally followed the assumption that they would struggle throughout the year, ending up near the bottom of the league and building up from there.

Yet the San Diego squad is not one to abide by precedent, as not even hometown media could have predicted this level of early success. With a 10-3-5 record and sitting alone at second place in the Western Conference, SDFC is not only poised for a successful inaugural run but also a potential inaugural playoff run that borders on title contention.

Expansion clubs in the MLS have found early success before, as seen most recently with St. Louis City SC, which finished first in the Western Conference in its 2023 inaugural season. This, however, is very much the exception rather than the norm.

To better understand this unexpected development and where it might all be heading, it is important to break down some key developments that occurred both before the start of the season and during.

Blooming culture

Team culture is the foundation of any professional sports club, and SDFC Head Coach Mikey Varas and his staff have built a bedrock that players have fully bought into and built on.

Varas speaks often of maintaining a growth mindset in the squad, not allowing complacency to creep in. He promotes playing with bravery, always looking for ways to improve, and remaining focused on the task at hand.

“Making sure our feet stay on the ground, making sure that we’re not getting too high or too low, and part of that is just remembering that our first and ultimate goal is to be fighting for playoffs in our first year,” Varas said during a media availability regarding the group’s biggest challenge.

Underrated and hungry talent

Before San Diego’s inaugural season got underway, many of the players the team acquired were relative unknowns to the city. Outside of players named Hirving Lozano, you would be hard pressed to find someone outside of soccer fanatics who knew much about the squad.

When taking a closer look at this group, however, a fine collection of talent is revealed. Up and down the squad, players are making their mark not just on the team but on the league as well. Whether it’s Danish forward Anders Dreyer’s calculated offense and league-leading nine assists, team captain Jeppe Tverskov anchoring the midfield with veteran Aníbal Godoy, or supersub and Escondido native Milan Iloski putting his heart into every score off the bench.

The true depth of that talent will be put to the ultimate test over the course of the next few weeks, with many starters on the team missing due to injury or international duty.

Controlling the flow

Well before opening kickoff, Varas was clear in his desire to see his team play with relentless press and bravery on the ball against opponents. His squad heard him loud and clear, making SDFC’s offense in competition with some of the best in the league, holding a top 10 position in most attacking statistics.

Tied for first in the league in possession statistics, San Diego doesn’t let other teams dictate the game either, putting opponents on the back foot and forcing them to play uncomfortable and out of scheme.

Defensively, the squad has made incredible strides as well. After bouncing back from an abysmal April where the team allowed nine goals in four matches, the defense displayed real tenacity, stifling the opposition to allow only five goals in the last eight matches.

“That’s something we’ve been working on from day one, how we defend together,” defender Christopher McVey said of the improvement. “It’s a collective thing, a lot of times people think it’s just the defenders, but it’s a team effort, and I think we’ve been taking big steps in all of the positions, but especially up on the start of the press.”

With 16 matches to go, there is still plenty of gametime left and questions to be answered. Though barring a disastrous collapse, San Diego FC is well on its way to its first-ever postseason in its first-ever season.

As long as the squad remains consistent in their form, their destiny will remain in their own hands. With the supporters who have made Snapdragon Stadium a homefield bastion backing them, the sky is the limit for this young club.