Falcons net state volleyball championship
By Harry Thomas
Freelance Columnist
St. Joseph High School volleyball coach Miguel Cabrita sensed in pre-season workouts that his 2006 team could be a special one.
But he also knew that there would be tests ahead, some having nothing to do with what happened on the court. He knew that if the Falcons were to be as successful as he thought they could be, they would need some special mental qualities.
The Falcons answered the challenge, winning their second NJSIAA state championship June 9 by beating defending state champion Bridgewater-Raritan 25-16, 18-25, 29-27 at South Brunswick High School.
The Falcons, who also won a state title in 2002, were beaten by Bridgewater-Raritan last year in the state semifinals.
“When the going got tough, the guys really pulled together,” said the 32-year-old Cabrita, who spent 10 years as an assistant coach before becoming head coach of the Falcons before last season. “Last year, they weren’t at the point where they needed to be mentally. What it comes down to at this level is where you are mentally.
“Our team had a terrific chemistry,” he added. “They worked well together, were self-sacrificing and didn’t really care who was on the court as long as we win. It wasn’t, ‘Me, me, me.’ It was about the team.”
St. Joseph finished the season with a 30-4 record. They avenged three of those losses during the state tournament run. They ousted Southern Regional, Manahawkin, which had beaten them in a tournament during the regular season, then beat East Brunswick in the state semifinals. East Brunswick had beaten the Falcons in a regular season game in Metuchen, and then again in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament finals.
The only loss the Falcons were unable to avenge was a setback to Lehigh Valley Conference champion Freedom High of Bethlehem, Pa.
“The guys wanted to prove that they were legit,” said Cabrita, the director of admissions at St. Joseph. “They wanted to make sure one way or another of avenging that loss.”
St. Joseph, the No. 1 seed in the state tournament and South section champions, were considered a heavy favorite against seventh-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan, which had won the North section. But the championship went down to a third and deciding final game.
Junior Drew Colon had two kills to pull St. Joseph into a 19-19 tie in the third game. Colon broke a 27-27 tie with a ball that was deflected out of the reach of two Panthers.
Colon finished Bridgewater-Raritan off when he made another kill off outside hitter Dan Deverin’s serve.
“It was a nail biter,” Cabrita said. “It was an exciting match to watch, not so much as a coach.”
The team got great leadership from seniors John Moll, Kurt Backlund and Matt Scott, Cabrita said. They set an example that the younger Falcons can follow to more experiences like June 9, he said.
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law