Oaks Christian stymied by Oak Park again

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers INTENSE AFFAIR- Oaks Christian's Paul Peterson, center, can't get the ball past Oak Park High defenders Jared Furlong, left, and Alfredo Corvino during Tuesday night's Tri-Valley League showdown at OPHS. In an epic battle between the top two teams in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV coaches' poll, the Lions lost in five games. Oak Park is now in the driver's seat for the TVL title. They battled back and forth the whole night long, but in the end it was the Eagles who sat on the precipice of school history.

In the latest installment of the Conejo Valley's most hotly contested boys' volleyball rivalry, the Oak Park High Eagles defeated the Oaks Christian Lions at home Tuesday night in five grueling games (25-22, 21-25, 25-20, 18-25, 15-13).

Oak Park, the top-ranked team in the CIFSouthern Section Division IV coaches' poll, improved to 111 overall and 90 in the TriValley League.

The Eagles can clinch the program's first-ever outright TVL title by winning four of their remaining five league matches, all of which are against teams they've already defeated.

"We wanted to go as hard as we could every single point, 100 percent of the time," said an exhausted Jared Furlong, Oak Park's leader with 20 kills who played through a painful cramp in his leg.

"We knew that if we won this, we would be league champions- uncontested," the senior outside hitter said. "This meant a lot to us."

Oaks Christian, a three-time defending CIF champion, fell to 12-3 overall and 7-2 in league. The Lions' only other TVL loss was at home last month against Oak Park. It was the first time the Eagles had ever defeated Oaks Christian on its home floor.

OCHS head coach George Hees, whose team entered the match ranked second in Division IV, credited Oak Park for its ability to come up with crucial points throughout the twoandahalfhour contest.

"All the long rallies seemed to go their way," Hees said, "and every time they needed a point, they we able to get it and we weren't."

Oak Park senior setter Adam Quinn, playing on a bad ankle for weeks, had 48 assists and about a million reasons to celebrate.

Quinn, the son of OPHS head coach Patrick Quinn, and senior middle blocker Stephen Thompson are the Eagles' only fouryear varsity players. For the past three years, they've been on teams that have finished behind Oaks Christian in the final regular-season standings.

"Finishing second just made us want it more and more each year, and we worked harder and harder each year not to finish second," Adam Quinn said.

"We were willing to do whatever it took this year not to finish in second again."

After the teams split the first two games of the match, Oaks Christian sprinted out to a 94 advantage in Game 3. But following an Oak Park timeout, the Eagles quickly recovered and outscored OCHS 21-11 down the stretch to take the game.

Behind inspired efforts from Blake Fol (14 kills, five blocks), Dalton Gerlach (10 kills, eight digs), Alani Fua (eight kills, four blocks) and Kevin Cochran (16 digs), Oaks Christian bounced back to win Game 4, 25-18, and set the stage for the decisive fifth game.

In Game 5, the Lions built an early 4-2 cushion before Oak Park rebounded for a 6-5 advantage. A trio of ties later, Oaks Christian regained the lead at 11-10 and again at 1211. The Eagles, however, reached back for one last push, scoring the game's final four points to take the match and, perhaps, the league title.

Oak Park sophomore middle blocker Alfredo Corvino recorded the match-clinching kill.

"I knew the play was coming," Corvino said, "and when I saw (the ball) in the air I just went up and smacked it as hard as I could. . . .

"It was intense. This was the biggest game ever."

Brendan Keane finished with 10 digs for Oak Park. Jeff Sakaida had 12 kills, with Thompson, the senior middle blocker, adding 15.

Oaks Christian's Paul Peterson contributed eight digs and six kills. Phil Boskovich had six kills and three blocks. Dominic Denham also had eight kills for the Lions.

Afterward, players and coaches from both teams said they wouldn't be surprised to see a trilogy in the CIF-SS playoffs.

"We'll definitely see them again in the CIF finals," Oaks Christian's Andrew Petrovsky said. "It'll happen."