The All-County boys volleyball first, second and third teams, plus player of the year and coach of the year for the 2013-14 season:
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
TJ DeFALCO
Huntington Beach, Jr., OH
COACH OF THE YEAR
Isaac Owens
Esperanza
FIRST TEAM
JAKE ARNITZ
Esperanza, Sr., OH
Arnitz (UCLA) had a delayed start to the season because of a back injury, but when he returned, he was as dependable as he was last year when he was selected the Register’s player of the year. In the two biggest matches of the season, Arnitz had 38 kills in a five-set victory over San Marcos in the CIF-SS semifinals and 38 again when the Aztecs edged Laguna Beach in the finals. “I don’t think there’s an argument that he is the best ever to play at Esperanza,” Coach Isaac Owens said. “He’s exceeded all expectations of what a coach can expect from a player. He’s been a great captain and teammate.” Arnitz had 268 kills and 91 digs
NOAH BLANTON
Laguna Beach, Sr., MB
Blanton took a big leap this year as he helped lead the Breakers to the CIF-SS Divison 2 final and SoCal Division III final. Blanton, who is headed to Westmont for basketball, recorded 304 kills in 490 attempts and had 24 aces, 45 blocks and 67 digs. “He really grew as a volleyball player this year,” Coach Darren Utterback said. “Before he was just an athlete playing middle, but he turned into a much more polished player than before. You could see him mature.” Blanton earned first team all-Orange Coast League honors. Blanton had a season-high 18 kills in the four-set victory over Saddleback Valley Christian that clinched the SoCal Regional title for the Breakers.
TOMMY BROOKS
Corona del Mar, Sr., MB
Brooks was a consistent performer all season. He finished with 239 kills, 82 blocks and 23 digs. He was all-tournament at the Best of the West Invitational and Pacific Coast League MVP. “The bigger the match, the bigger role Tommy had in our game plan,” CdM coach Steve Conti said. In one of CdM’s biggest regular-season matches, Brooks hit .714 with 16 kills and one error in a four-set victory over Loyola. In the SoCal Division II final, Brooks led the Sea Kings with 24 kills in a five-set victory over Esperanza.
DRAKE EVANS
Huntington Beach, Sr., Opp
Evans came off of the bench last year. As a starter this year, he split time in the middle and on the right side. He quickly developed into a bonafide third option for the Oilers. He had 11 kills in the CIF finals victory over Loyola. He also had eight digs. “He took on a huge role. He was a true weapon that people had to stop,” Coach Craig Pazanti said. “If you left him 1 on 1, he was going to put up numbers. Overall, he had a good instict for the ball.”
BEN OXNARD
Esperanza, Sr., Libreo
Oxnard (New York University) split time between outside hitter and libero. His willingness to make the move to outside, was one of the keys to the Aztecs’ title run. “He’s one of the most reliable kids that I’ve ever coached in terms of his volleyball IQ and knowledge,” Owens said. “I didn’t have to worry about him passing, serving or playing defense.” Oxnard shared Century League MVP honors with Jake Arnitz. Oxnard recorded 206 kills and 219 digs this season.
BRENDEN SANDER
Huntington Beach, Sr., OH
Sander (BYU) teamed with TJ DeFalco to give opposing coaches nightmares when preparing for the Oilers. Sander recorded 14 kills in the CIF SoCal Regional final. “I thought he was tremendous this year, both physically and from a leadership standpoint,” Pazanti said. “He took on a new role … but he was awesome. He did what he had to do.” Sander was on the All-County third-team last season. Sander was all-tournament at the Best of the West Invitational and MVP of the Redondo Tournament.
JOSH TUANIGA
Huntington Beach, Jr., S
Tuaniga had to sit out the first 17 matches due to the 30-day transfer period. When he became eligible, he quickly adapted to his new teammates and made a seamless transition in a short period of time. Tuaniga, who is committed to Long Beach State, had 48 assists and five digs in the CIF-SS final victory over Loyola and 41 assists in the SoCal Regional final. “He’s without a doubt the best setter I’ve seen at this level,” Coach Craig Pazanti said. “He’s quick for his size and he has good hands. The ability to take over a team at setter isn’t easy, but the guys respected him and he made some great attackers that much better.”
SECOND TEAM
OH: Joey Martino, Corona del Mar, Sr.
MB: Mac Egan, Orange Lutheran, Sr.
MB: Ryan
Morrissey, Huntington Beach, Sr.
OH: Erik Sikes, Santa Margarita, Sr.
Opp: Noah Dyer, Saddleback Valley Christian, Soph.
Setter: Eric Matheis, Dana Hills, Sr.
Libero: Jake Weisner, Huntington Beach, Sr.
THIRD TEAM
OH – Shawn Stephens, San Clemente, Sr.
MB – Dominic Spencer, Servite, Sr.
MB – Kyle Radecki, Trabuco Hills, Sr.
OH – Jack Wyett, Laguna Beach, Sr.
Opp – Andrew Pearson, Huntington Beach, Sr.
S – Logan Zotovich, San Juan Hills, Sr.
L – JP Wollam, Laguna Beach, Sr
HONORABLE MENTION
Lucas LaMont, Laguna Hills, Sr., MB; Ryan Heller, Esperanza, Sr., S; Clay Carr, Newport Harbor, Sr., OH; Peter Van Liefde, San Clemente, Sr., OH; Nicholas Bilinski, El Dorado, Jr., OH; Matt Ctvrtlik, Corona del Mar, Soph., S; Ryan Moss, Corona del Mar, Jr., OH; Jeff Kamo, Beckman, Sr., Opp; Cole Thompson, Los Alamitos, Jr., OH; Jake Hexberg, Laguna Beach, Sr., OH; Matt Nicholas, St. Margaret’s, Jr., Opp; James Thomas, Santa Margarita, Jr., OH; Connor Jordan, Esperanza, Sr., MB; Eric Patton, Foothill, Jr., Opp; Nolan To, Foothill, Soph, OH/S; Nic Sargeant, Newport Harbor, Sr., L; Tommy Casey, Corona del Mar, Sr., L; Nick Goldstone, San Clemente, Sr.,S; Thomas Taufetee, Garden Grove, Sr., OH
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com
