Torrey Pines Beats Poway in 3-A Final

SAN DIEGO —  Torrey Pines is Torrey Pines.

Poway is Poway.

Now there’s some insight. Now that we’ve identified everyone, what about that 3-A San Diego Section boys’ volleyball championship?

Hot dog. With the section playoffs trickling down to their final week, Torrey Pines added another jewel to their now-sparkling championship crown. Volleyball became the third spring team title for the Falcons. It should go nicely with the ones they won in gymnastics and boys’ tennis within the week.

Friday night at Mira Mesa High, second-seeded Torrey Pines needed five games and a bevy of crowd support to defeat Palomar League rival and fifth-seeded Poway, 15-13, 11-15, 15-11, 6-15, 15-12.

These teams knew each other like the back of their hands, after they split their two league matches and after Torrey Pines (15-2) defeated Poway in a brief one-game meeting early in the year.

“Poway is Poway,” Torrey Pines Coach Dan Lyman said. “They’re a great team.”

Poway (12-5) returned the respect to the Palomar League champion.

“Torrey Pines is Torrey Pines,” said Bill Rarity, Poway’s potent outside hitter who finished his high school career with a game-high 28 kills. “It’s always a rivalry. They’re always a tough team.”

This time the Falcons were especially tough at hammer time. Although the pendulum had swung back and forth much of the night--Torrey Pines won the first and second games, and Poway took the second and fourth--in the fifth, neither team took more than a two-point lead.

Torrey Pines broke the barrier and took a 13-10 lead on a mis-hit by the Titans. A Rarity kill and one too many hits by Torrey Pines made it 13-12, but the Falcons’ Sean Langdon put one straight down to make it 14-12. Match point.

Poway managed to dig back a pair of Torrey Pines spikes, even set the ball to the ceiling twice, but finally succumbed to a block by Scott Pollard.

In the 2-A final, defending champion San Pasqual (15-4) was turned back by USDHS (18-1) in three consecutive games, 15-6, 15-9, 15-3.

Jeremy Sweet led the Dons’ balanced effort with 13 kills. Teammates Dave Withers added 12, and Jason Kent and Pat Bonner had 11 each.

For San Pasqual, Matt Noonan had 12 kills and Matt Baglio had 9 kills and five blocks.