Do You Believe In Miracles

The Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam Boys’ Volleyball League championship ended in an upset. The seventh-seeded Father Duenas Friars took down the top-seeded, previously undefeated, George Washington Geckos in four sets, 25-20, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22.

The entire match was competitive. There was no domination — it simply came down to which team could execute the basics of volleyball best and, in the end, it was the Friars.

Led by All-Island MVP Eric Ada, it was obvious the Friars were playing with heart. But even when they were trailing, they were able to keep their emotions out of the game and focus on playing ball. It paid off, as they were finally able to call themselves champions at the end of the match.

“It feels awesome,” said an emotional Ada. “I’ve been waiting for this for four years and it’s all heart. We come into every game knowing we’re going to work hard and execute.”

The Friars were the Cinderella story of the playoffs. Seeded seventh, they were never given much of a chance.

When they took down second-ranked Okkodo in the quarterfinals, they made a statement. But the Geckos were still, at that point, the best team in the league. They hadn’t even come close to losing, and hadn’t lost a set in postseason play.

The Friars think they were able to use that to their advantage.

“To me, if you’re the top seed, you feel like you’re relaxed and you can just cruise yourself in,” said De’Aundre Cruz. “But when you’re down there, you just have to keep pushing and we know we have to work hard because everyone thinks you’re not going to do good.”

Though the Geckos came out strong to start the first set, the Friars were patient and eventually tied it up 13-13. For the rest of the set, they continued to play small ball, focusing on keeping the ball in play while the Geckos attempted kill after kill, often sending the ball out of bounds.

The first set win by the Friars obviously frustrated the Geckos, and FD was able to take advantage of it. They used their opponents' emotions to gain an 18-10 lead while staying cool, calm and collected. After a timeout, the Geckos seemed to get it together and made a strong comeback attempt, but the Friars were able to edge it out.

The third set was the most intense, with both teams bringing their 'A' games. The Geckos played the way they had all season, seemingly unaffected by the fact that they were trailing by two sets, while the Friars stayed on par with the play they’d exhibited all night.

The Geckos gained a decent lead, but Ada did his job while serving, tying it up 24-24. Two strong plays from the Geckos finished it off, pushing the game to a fourth set.
Adrenaline pushing both teams, the fourth set was as nail-biting as the rest. Any time the Friars gained a lead, the Geckos would tie it up — and vice versa. It was 19-19 when Ada stepped up at the line and led his team to victory.

The team worked together to defend the strong shots coming from Gecko hitters, and set up their best player to finish it off. This teamwork ended up being the Friars' best trait and what allowed them to win it all.

“Our strength was our teamwork,” said Ada. “We didn’t let one person fall down. We kept each other up and we played as one team.”

The win from the boys' volleyball team caps off what was a terrific year for the Friars, who won a championship in each of the four quarters.