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OREM — Not this time. Not in this situation. Not with a trophy on line.
The Grantsville Cowboys made sure they let the North Sanpete Hawks know who the best team in 3A was — and they did so in convincing fashion.
Powered by senior outside hitter Ethan Powell's 19 kills, the No. 1 team in 3A all season capped off their first sanctioned campaign with a crown, taking down No. 2 Hawks in a straight-set sweep, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23, Saturday at the UCCU Center.
In a match that was back-and-forth most of the way, it was the Cowboys who had the extra juice to surge to the win in all three sets, even while they trailed for most of the third set before finally putting together one final flurry to seal it.
"I dreamed about this moment, but I'm so glad that they made it happen," Grantsville coach Kelli Rexford said. "We were ready to play our best today."
It was a marked departure, Rexford added, from the three regular season meetings the Cowboys lost against the Hawks. Rexford said Grantsville never was playing up to their potential in those matches.
Ethan Powell and Decker Dzierzon, whom Rexford called Grantsville's "dynamic duo" all year, made sure it didn't happen again. Powell was everywhere North Sanpete didn't want him to be, whether it was from the back row, the opposite side, or on his natural right hand side.
Their experience showed through, especially late in each set, where Grantsville found an extra gear to pull away to a 3-point lead in each set. Fittingly, it was a crosscourt X play for Dzierzon that ended proceedings; the wipe off the block found the floor, triggering an emotional celebration.
"We just decided we weren't going to lose," Powell said. "We just competed every play, and when it wasn't going our way, we just huddled up and reset. That's what drove us today."
And it led Grantsville to earning the distinction of being the only first-time winner of the 3A state championship, which Powell said meant everything to him because it "set the bar" for other teams to reach.
Based on the evidence of the match, it's easy to see why the game is continuing to grow, and also how the Cowboys have set the bar in 3A, but it also underscores the belief individual players have in each other across the state.
Maybe that's why Rexford said she did in fact believe her team would sweep North Sanpete coming into the championship match.
"There's something about boys volleyball and coaching this that makes this more fun," she said. "I'm just proud to be a part of this community."
