Cimarron knocks out Bonanza

Cimarron-Memorial's boys volleyball team looked eager to throw the first punch against Bonanza on Tuesday.

The Spartans ended up knocking out the defending state champion Bengals.

Braydon Egbert had 13 kills, Taylor Larsen supplied 20 assists and 16 digs, and Cimarron opened its first postseason since 2009 with a stunning 25-14, 25-23, 30-28 sweep of Southwest League champion Bonanza in the Sunset Region quarterfinals at Legacy High.

"We came out swinging, we came out fighting with good passes, and we just did really good," said Egbert, a senior outside hitter. "We just came out with fire and kept it burning the whole time."

Cimarron (13-6), the No. 4 seed from the Northwest League, advanced to meet Palo Verde (14-3) in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Thursday at Legacy. The Spartans claimed the Northwest's final spot in the playoffs, but they stand one win away from clinching a state tournament berth.

"This is a blessing for our team. This is first time for me as a coach at Cimarron to come this far, to regionals," Spartans coach Jamie Charles said. "The boys work hard and work together. They dig deep and have heart, and they want to go for it."

A kill by Brycen Duckworth pulled Bonanza (15-4) within 24-23 in the second set, but a kill by Kyle Henriksen clinched the Spartans' 25-23 win.

A Bonanza service error put Cimarron up 29-28 in the marathon third set, and N.J. Makaiwi fed Hayden Newton for a match-ending kill to make it 30-28.

"It was a wonderful scene. Just to see that ending of the third set, it was overwhelming and a relief of pressure," Charles said. "They did it, and I'm so proud of them."

Kyle Henriksen had 11 kills and Salvador Garcia eight for Cimarron, which got 14 assists from Makaiwi.

Duckworth had eight kills.

■ Palo Verde 3, Bishop Gorman 1 - Trent Gneiting had 25 kills and 11 digs to lead the Panthers to a 25-15, 22-25, 25-15, 25-16 win over the Gaels (11-4).

Jordyn Martin added 13 kills and Andrew Weston 40 assists for Palo Verde.

Matt Lychock had 12 kills and Stephen Zimmerman eight for Gorman.

■ Centennial 3, Sierra Vista 0 - Dane Hunsicker had 19 kills and five aces to help the Bulldogs oust the Mountain Lions with a 25-21, 25-12, 32-30 win.

Centennial (11-7) will face Shadow Ridge (19-0) in the semifinals at 5:20 p.m. Thursday at Legacy.

Chet Durkin had 37 assists for Centennial. Paolo Lee had 19 assists for Sierra Vista (12-7).

■ Shadow Ridge 3, Desert Oasis 0 - Brandon Fisher had 11 kills, and Tanner Maxwell had nine kills and eight digs to help the Mustangs roll to a 25-12, 25-21, 25-12 sweep.

Quinn Skouson had five kills and Cody Tesoro 19 digs for Shadow Ridge.

Tailer Bowen led Desert Oasis (8-11) with nine kills. Alex Trillo had 17 assists and nine digs for the Diamondbacks.

SUNRISE REGION

Even the biggest lead can slip away quickly in volleyball, and Green Valley's James Byrne saw one evaporating Tuesday.

That's when he knew it was time to take over.

With the Gators struggling to finish off Valley, the veteran senior logged seven kills and an ace in the fourth set, leading Green Valley to a 25-13, 25-18, 19-25, 25-18 victory over the Vikings in the Sunrise Region tournament at Green Valley.

"We've been practicing being down and coming back," said Byrne, who finished with 12 kills and six blocks. "When no one else was able to pick it up, I felt it was my time to get it done."

After two sets, it seemed Byrne wouldn't need to spark any comeback, as the Gators (10-5) cruised to relatively easy wins. But a third-set service ace by Peter Nunes put Valley (13-7) up 12-11, and the Vikings seized the momentum.

"We knew they were tough, probably the best Valley team in many years," Green Valley coach Kevin Barney said. "We wanted to focus on playing defense the way we can play defense, and to play to our strengths."

But the Gators committed several errors in the third and fourth sets, allowing the Vikings to make it interesting.

"I think it was just a matter of focus," Barney said. "When you're not playing well, one error turns into two or three. It's just a mentality thing."

Green Valley scored the final three points of the fourth set, capped by Dimitri Santos' thunderous kill on set point.

Santos also served eight aces, and brother Donovan Santos had 34 assists for the Gators, who also got 12 kills and five blocks from Wesley Reed.

Green Valley will face Silverado in a region semifinal at 3:40 p.m. Thursday at Legacy.

Nunes led Valley with 23 assists..

■ Coronado 3, Rancho 0 - The Cougars withstood a third-set rally to post a sweep of the Rams, 25-17, 25-14, 25-18.

Connor Stephenson led Coronado (16-4) with 34 assists and five blocks. Teammates Brandon Dau, Austin Moiseyev and Tyler Cucullu finished with nine kills apiece.

Coronado will meet Las Vegas in a region semifinal at 7 p.m. Thursday at Legacy.

Guillermo Silva had 10 kills to lead Rancho (11-9), which grabbed a 7-5 lead before faltering.

■ Las Vegas 3, Foothill 0 - The top-seeded Wildcats overcame a sluggish start and cruised to a 25-17, 25-19, 25-10 win over the Falcons.

Garrett Jones led the Wildcats (19-1) with 10 kills. Levi Mackelprang added seven kills for Las Vegas, and teammate Evany Diaz logged 25 assists and seven digs.

Kendell Andrews led Foothill (11-9) with nine kills, and teammate Caleb Hutchinson added five kills.

■ Silverado 3, Canyon Springs 1 - The Pioneers put up a battle before falling to the Skyhawks, 25-20, 25-14, 23-25, 25-10.

Kyle Divicino led Silverado (18-2) with eight of his match-high 16 kills in the decisive fourth set. Teammate Curtis Hadland added 11 kills and four aces.

Adam Tuala and Immanuel Tufuga led Canyon Springs (13-7) with eight kills apiece.