Owen Martin walked into the first day of spring sports practice inside the Blue Ridge gymnasium and many of the familiar faces were gone.

Reality hit that afternoon for the senior. Gone to graduation were five starters, including Connor Cranage, the program’s all-time kills leader, Carson Gallagher, the all-time assists leader, two-time All-Region selections Aiden Glasgow and Nick Laude, and Morgan Thomas.

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The group dominated the Lackawanna League with an impressive two-year run as District 2 Class 2A champions and a 42-3 overall record.

While being excited about the new season, Martin understood the daunting task with so little experience returning. Enter coach Lori Zick, who is a master at teaching the skills of the game while always being encouraging, and a determined group of athletes looking to carry on the tradition of the Raiders.

Things got off to a less-than-stellar start, but Blue Ridge enters the playoffs having won seven of the last nine matches and is the No. 5 seed. The Raiders (11-5) will go on the road to play No. 4 Berwick (11-5) on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“When I came in four years ago, I was the young guy looking up to the older guys,” Martin said. “This year, with those guys gone, I had to take a leadership role on a completely different team. I had to step up and keep the confidence of the players up.

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“I learned a lot from the guys who graduated about the seriousness of playing the game. Everyone on last year’s team took what they did seriously. They wanted to go to states. This year, what we wanted was to keep getting better to get to where we are this year.”

Blue Ridge opened the season with a win over Tunkhannock but lost to eventual champion Abington Heights. After a win over Lackawanna Trail, the Raiders suffered their second loss of the season to second-year program Valley View.

Still, Martin and his teammates saw progress.

“At the beginning of the season, some of us were a little down,” Blue Ridge junior libero Bryce Conklin said. “We had key guys bring the team together, and they said that we had time and that we could make improvements.

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“Our practices were important. We put in crazy hours at the gym and outside of practice, learning about where to be in rotations. We also had team-bonding events, team dinners—everything we could do, we did. We knew that we had great potential.”

Blue Ridge had a dominant sweep over North Pocono and battled to a 3-2 win over West Scranton before a 3-1 setback to Crestwood had the team with as many losses this spring as it had in the two previous seasons combined.

The steady stream of positivity and commitment to improve at practice sparked a five-match winning streak.

“When you start to get some wins, it keeps you up,” Conklin said. “We got wins, and that got us pumped up.”

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Western Wayne and Holy Redeemer, two teams in this year’s District 2 Class 2A field, swept the Raiders, 3-0, in back-to-back matches. But Blue Ridge closed with a 3-1 win over Dallas, the No. 8 seed in the bracket, and Hazleton Area.

Parker Glasgow, a junior, leads the team with 156 kills and 124 service points. Martin has contributed 85 kills and 101 service points, freshman Jacob Brown has 76 kills, and sophomore Jacek Motyka has 65 kills. Conklin has 116 service points with 36 aces and a team-high 321 digs, and junior Riley Phillips has 397 assists.

The development as a group has elevated the energy heading into the district tournament.

“It’s an honor to be the defending champions, even though only one of us really played a lot,” Conklin said. “We are going to play to our potential, and we are going to give it our all.”

By CANDACE SUTTON FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 21:19 EDT, 18 May 2025 | Updated: 01:12 EDT, 19 May 2025

The private school where water polo coach Lilie James was murdered was plunged into emergency lockdown after a male intruder entered one of its buildings and threatened staff.

St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney’s CBD was locked down by police on Monday morning after the break-in by a man who ‘threatened staff and then returned to the campus’.

The male entered the school’s Bishop Barry Centre in Druitt Street, which is part of the campus of St Andrews near Sydney Town Hall.

Parents were alerted to the lockdown by a text message from the school, and police have now arrested a 46-year-old man.

About 12pm, officers attached to Surry Hills Police Area Command were called to a hotel in Surry Hills for a man acting erratically and refusing to leave the premises. Police attended and arrested him.

On October 25, 2023, St Andrews staff member Lilie James was murdered with a hammer by fellow sports coach, Paul Thijssen, in a toilet near the school’s staff room.

Thijssen then either fell or jumped taking his own life off a cliff at Vaucluse in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. 

The private school where water polo coach Lilie James was murdered has been plunged into emergency lockdown after an intruder entered one of its buildings

Police have conducted a sweep of the school after the report of an intruder, but the campus remained in lockdown

 Parents of pupils at St Andrews school have been informed that ‘everyone is safe’ after police conducted a sweep of the buildings, but the school remains on high alert. 

NSW Police issued a statement on Monday morning, saying that ‘a police operation at a school in Sydney’s CBD has now concluded.

‘Officers from Sydney City Police Area Command attended about 9.45am today (Monday 19 May 2025), after reports a man had earlier threatened staff and since returned to the campus.

‘The school was placed in locked down and a search of the building, on the corner of Druitt and Kent Streets, was conducted with the assistance of specialist resources.

‘Despite an extensive search of the grounds, the man could not be located, and the lockdown was lifted.

‘An investigation is now underway into the incident, and inquiries continue to locate the man.’

St Andrews school has issued a statement saying the man who entered an external area of the campus was ‘disorientated’ and left ‘a minute later’.

‘The school can confirm that there was no threat of violence and no one was harmed during the incident, and thanks its staff and the NSW Police for their professional and calm response.’

NSW Police said ‘inquiries are continuing’ with the man taken into custody over the incident. 

Kirkwood High School senior volleyball player Luke “Marty” Martinez (#16) set a new school record, pushing past 800 career kills (he totaled 801) during the game against Parkway North on Friday, May 9. He also holds the record for most kills in a single match (36), which happened last season during a five set match against Parkway South. Martinez has committed to playing Division I/II volleyball with Maryville University in the fall. 

Lynchburg, Va. — The University of Lynchburg baseball squad is headed for the NCAA Super Regional round after holding off Emory, 6-5, in the final game of the Lynchburg regional on Sunday afternoon on James C. fox Field.

The Hornets wasted no time getting on the board, plating four runs in a productive first inning. Bradon Garcia opened the gates by scoring off a RBI single from Sean Pokorak. The momentum continued with a sacrifice fly by Bryce Demory, bringing in Joe Munitz. Ryder Warren followed with an RBI single to right to score Benton Jones, and Eric Hiett capped the inning with a base hit up the middle to bring home Pokorak.

Lynchburg extended their lead in the third inning when Hiett notched his second RBI of the game with a single to left center, driving in Warren to make it a five-run advantage for the Hornets. Pokorak added insurance in the sixth with his second RBI single, scoring Garcia and pushing the Lynchburg lead to 6-0. He finished the game two-for-four with two RBI.

Nick Mattfield had a spectacular day on the bump. He got the start and threw 6.1 frames, allowing just one hit through the first six innings. Emory mounted a furious rally in the seventh, stringing together five runs on four hits and a walk. Jonathan Lang sparked the comeback with a two-RBI single, and Brock Liu added another RBI knock. A bases-loaded walk and a fielder’s choice rounded out the scoring, bringing the game within one run. 

Colin McGuire checked in on the mound for Austin Riney in the seventh and effectively closed out the game. He secured his ninth save of the season by throwing 2.2 innings and allowing just one hit throughout his time in the contest. He finished with four strikeouts in nine batters faced, including the final two outs of the game in the ninth.

Lynchburg has secured a spot in the Super Regional round and will take on Rowan this coming weekend. More information, including game time and location, will be available on lynchburgsports.com as it is published.

Visit Lynchburg athletics’ home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.

Sign up here to receive Lynchburg Sports news in your email inbox.

Give Lynchburg Athletics a like on Facebook, and follow Lynchburg Athletics on Instagram and X.

–LYN–

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Nineteen-year-old Bronson Chungson, from Māngere, is not only competing in international polo but also breaking new ground as one of the few Pacific Islanders in a sport noted for its lack of diversity.

Born and raised in South Auckland, Chungson has quickly become a standout talent in water polo.

“I grew up in South Auckland, born and raised in Māngere, and went to Sacred Heart College. I currently live in San Francisco and I’m just playing water polo and studying,” he shared in an interview with Tofiga Fepulea’i on Island Time.

Chungson’s journey into the sport began at the Papatoetoe and Māngere swim clubs, where his aunt, a coach at Holy Cross Papatoetoe, introduced him to water polo.

“I didn’t enjoy [swimming] as much because it was an individual sport… but water polo being a team sport, it gave me more of a passion and a love for it because I got to play with friends.”

By Year 11 and 12, Chungson was already playing for older New Zealand squads. He now plays for West Valley College in California.

In June, Chungson will compete at the Under-21 World Championships in Croatia and Montenegro. He recognises the challenges ahead.

“Definitely, the European teams are the powerhouses – Hungary, Serbia, Croatia. But we’ve been fortunate enough to have a slightly less challenging pool. We’ve got Kazakhstan and Iran. I’m pretty sure Kazakhstan came first in the Asia Cup tournament, so we’ll be playing the champs of Asia.”

Chungson’s parents are fundraising to cover his travel costs to the World Championships. On their Givealittle page, they expressed their pride in his achievements, stating, “It’s such an incredible achievement, and we couldn’t be prouder.”

They say water polo is considered a minority sport and does not receive much funding, but they are committed to supporting Chungson’s passion and promoting cultural representation in the sport.

Watch the full interview with Bronson Chungson below.

“He’s often the only Sāmoan player in his teams, and it’s something he’s incredibly proud of. He loves representing his culture in a sport where diversity is rare, and this opportunity to represent both New Zealand and his Sāmoan roots on the world stage is something truly special.”

Looking ahead

Chungson still has one more year at West Valley and hopes to transfer to a four-year college in New York, California, or Los Angeles.

He says a highlight has been staying with other water polo athletes from South Africa, Germany, and Croatia, while representing his cultural roots.

“There are not many Pacific Islanders who are playing the sport, and so I want to make sure that I can inspire and encourage the younger generation to pursue a sport where it’s not dominated by Pacific Islanders as well, but we can still make a big mark.”

Bronson Chungson (centre) with his proud parents. Photo/Givealittle

Despite being far from home, he maintains a strong connection to his faith and culture. “It’s enormous for me, especially living here, it’s been hard dealing with the pressure and the stress with trying to play well in front of coaches and team-mates. But I always just remember that I’m playing for an audience of one and I give all my glory to God.”

His high school coach, Matt Lewis, a West Valley alumnus, has been one of his biggest inspirations. “There was a time when I was kind of thinking of just quitting water polo… but he helped me find the love and the passion for it again.”

Chungson encourages others to consider water polo. “Just give it a try. I think there’s too many times where we pass up these opportunities and we only later realise that we’re missing out … It’s just throwing a ball, playing with some teammates and having fun.”

Bronson Chungson’s waterpolo skills have led to travel and study opportunities. Photo/Supplied