SUNSET VOLLEYBALL: Longhorns outlast Panthers for Sunset title

In the beginning of the volleyball season, Legacy coach Ray Lewis knew his team was much better than what people had expected.

Sure, he had a tough act to follow, with just five players returning from last season’s state championship team.

But the Longhorns are back to defend their crown, after a wild five-set victory Friday night over Palo Verde in the Sunset Region final at Las Vegas High.

Legacy needed seven match points before finally prevailing, 17-25, 25-20, 26-24, 28-30, 16-14.

“It was one of the most exciting, emotional matches I’ve ever been a part of,” Lewis said. “What a swing of emotion, from both teams. No one gave us a chance, with only three returning starters and five total returning players. But here we are, back at state.”

And there’s a chance at a sequel, as both Legacy and Palo Verde head to next week’s state tournament.

The Panthers, one day removed from an emotionally-charged win over Shadow Ridge, showed no sign of a letdown, winning the opening set.

“Winning the first game really sparked us,” said Palo Verde coach Phil Clarke, who received a red card near the end of the third set. “It was the type of match that could have gone either way. I’m very proud of the effort from my team.”

Legacy (18-6) did win the second set thanks to three straight kills from Zaire Franklin. But the turning point of the match came near the end of the third set.

In a one-point, back-and-forth set, Palo Verde faced its second-straight set point, down 25-24. Simister hit a possible kill but officials ruled that the ball didn’t hit a Legacy player before going out of bounds. Clarke was given a red card for his outburst and instead of a tie game, the Longhorns were up, 2-1.

Because of the infraction, a point was awarded to Legacy at the start the fourth set.

Even with the penalty, the Panthers rebounded and fought off five match points to win, forcing a decisive fifth set. Simister had six kills in the final nine Palo Verde points of the fourth set.

But Simister scored the first point of the final set and while he was beating his chest, was given a red card for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“It was an emotional situation,” Clarke said. “I will never stop a kid from showing emotion. Still, we had our chances in the final game.”

The biggest lead by either team was three points in the final set. Legacy led 13-10 and after a Palo Verde timeout, rode the kills of Franklin and Anthony Guevara to take the region crown.

“Zaire has been our go-to guy all season,” Lewis said. “He wants to be in the tough situation, and he never wavers from the challenge. But this was a team effort, no question about it, but he’s a special player.”

Guevara had 13 kills for the Longhorns, and Anthony Madden had 19 digs and 15 kills. Omari Wheeler added seven kills, three digs and two blocks for Legacy.

Simister finished with 22 kills and 15 digs for Palo Verde (30-11), and Cole Willson added 44 assists and 16 digs. Jonathan Hecker had 40 digs for the Panthers in the contest, which lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes.