Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Filling in and stepping up
Outside hitter stepped up in many ways to carry Flintridge Prep to another superb season
By Charles Rich
Things needed to be pieced together after the Flintridge Prep boys’ volleyball team lost several top-notch players to graduation last season.
Forced to mix and match by assigning new roles to the returning athletes, veteran Flintridge Prep Coach Sean Beattie made a bold move by moving Gavin Thomson from middle blocker to outside hitter in an attempt to provide more offense after standout Dylan Walker moved on to college.
“I saw that he had put the work in [before the season began], and that we could move him to a new spot,” said Beattie, who piloted the fourth-seeded Rebels (20-6) to the CIF Southern Section Division V semifinals this past season before falling to top-seeded St. Margaret’s. “Then, he had the team doing the little things well and they followed him.
“He had giant shoes to fill in replacing Dylan. He loved the challenge of being able to come in and help the team out anyway he could.”
Thomson stepped in and took charge, posting an area-best 461 kills en route to earning All-Prep League and All-CIF first-team accolades.
Thomson proved he could handle most situations for a team that needed somebody to occasionally get them through some rough spots and on the right path.
“Nobody expected us to do a lot this season because we lost some great players,” said Thomson, who was selected the All-Area Boys’ Volleyball Player of the Year by the sportswriters and editors of the Glendale News-Press, Burbank Leader and La Cañada Valley Sun. “We didn’t listen to anybody, even though we were a new team.
“When Dylan left, he was going to be tough to replace. There was a huge hole to fill and I talked to Coach Beattie and told him to get me the ball.”
Walker was named the All-Area Player of the Year the previous two seasons after amassing 737 kills. Neither Beattie or Thomson expected the senior to put up those type of numbers, but Thomson far exceeded expectations.
The outside hitter did it all, from jump-serving to playing steady defense. Thomson, who will attend Southern Methodist University in the fall, contributed 52 aces, 22 blocks and 178 digs.
“I had a lot of support out there,” said Thomson, who was named to the All-Area Football second team last season after securing all-league first-team honors. “I always wanted to be an outside hitter, and I knew that I could be one.
“I was able to keep hitting strong, and I could see a difference with my hitting between this year and last year.”
On the gridiron, Thomson notched 72 tackles and led the Rebels in receiving last season to help them qualify for the CIF Southern Section Northeast Division playoffs.
Proving to be a quality two-sport athlete, Thomson also had some quality performances during the postseason in volleyball.
He came up with 16 kills in a first-round win against California Academy of Math and Science before picking up 21 in a quarterfinal win against Arrowhead Christian Academy.
Flintridge Prep senior setter Stephen Morse, who was named to the All-Area first team, said setting up Thomson proved to be easy.
“Any time we were in trouble or needed a point, we’d go to him,” said Morse, who had 719 assists and was named to the all-league first team. “He’s a powerful player whose intensity drives him to win.
“We graduated more than 600 kills from the previous season. He filled a lot of the gap and used up a lot of energy doing it.”
Thomson wanted to immediately step in and avoid having the Rebels endure growing pains before league competition began.
Sophomore Kenyatta Smith, Morse and libero Edmund Chow saw their respective games take off, leading to a second-place finish in league behind Chadwick.
“He’s got a loose personality that’s able to allow people around him to relax,” Beattie said. “His demeanor with the guys brought the team together.”
That proved to be one of the links the Rebels needed to enjoy a successful season: A veteran player with experience who could be the focal point and provide stability to a burgeoning squad.
CHARLES RICH covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3228 or charles.rich@latimes.com.
Forced to mix and match by assigning new roles to the returning athletes, veteran Flintridge Prep Coach Sean Beattie made a bold move by moving Gavin Thomson from middle blocker to outside hitter in an attempt to provide more offense after standout Dylan Walker moved on to college.
“I saw that he had put the work in [before the season began], and that we could move him to a new spot,” said Beattie, who piloted the fourth-seeded Rebels (20-6) to the CIF Southern Section Division V semifinals this past season before falling to top-seeded St. Margaret’s. “Then, he had the team doing the little things well and they followed him.
“He had giant shoes to fill in replacing Dylan. He loved the challenge of being able to come in and help the team out anyway he could.”
Thomson stepped in and took charge, posting an area-best 461 kills en route to earning All-Prep League and All-CIF first-team accolades.
Thomson proved he could handle most situations for a team that needed somebody to occasionally get them through some rough spots and on the right path.
“Nobody expected us to do a lot this season because we lost some great players,” said Thomson, who was selected the All-Area Boys’ Volleyball Player of the Year by the sportswriters and editors of the Glendale News-Press, Burbank Leader and La Cañada Valley Sun. “We didn’t listen to anybody, even though we were a new team.
“When Dylan left, he was going to be tough to replace. There was a huge hole to fill and I talked to Coach Beattie and told him to get me the ball.”
Walker was named the All-Area Player of the Year the previous two seasons after amassing 737 kills. Neither Beattie or Thomson expected the senior to put up those type of numbers, but Thomson far exceeded expectations.
The outside hitter did it all, from jump-serving to playing steady defense. Thomson, who will attend Southern Methodist University in the fall, contributed 52 aces, 22 blocks and 178 digs.
“I had a lot of support out there,” said Thomson, who was named to the All-Area Football second team last season after securing all-league first-team honors. “I always wanted to be an outside hitter, and I knew that I could be one.
“I was able to keep hitting strong, and I could see a difference with my hitting between this year and last year.”
On the gridiron, Thomson notched 72 tackles and led the Rebels in receiving last season to help them qualify for the CIF Southern Section Northeast Division playoffs.
Proving to be a quality two-sport athlete, Thomson also had some quality performances during the postseason in volleyball.
He came up with 16 kills in a first-round win against California Academy of Math and Science before picking up 21 in a quarterfinal win against Arrowhead Christian Academy.
Flintridge Prep senior setter Stephen Morse, who was named to the All-Area first team, said setting up Thomson proved to be easy.
“Any time we were in trouble or needed a point, we’d go to him,” said Morse, who had 719 assists and was named to the all-league first team. “He’s a powerful player whose intensity drives him to win.
“We graduated more than 600 kills from the previous season. He filled a lot of the gap and used up a lot of energy doing it.”
Thomson wanted to immediately step in and avoid having the Rebels endure growing pains before league competition began.
Sophomore Kenyatta Smith, Morse and libero Edmund Chow saw their respective games take off, leading to a second-place finish in league behind Chadwick.
“He’s got a loose personality that’s able to allow people around him to relax,” Beattie said. “His demeanor with the guys brought the team together.”
That proved to be one of the links the Rebels needed to enjoy a successful season: A veteran player with experience who could be the focal point and provide stability to a burgeoning squad.
CHARLES RICH covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3228 or charles.rich@latimes.com.
Save/Share
 |
 |
|
| Youth gets an intro to tennis at Glendale | 2008-09 TOP 10 BOYS’ ATHLETES OF THE YEAR: Another Golden season |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of glendalenewspress.com.
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
Not registered yet?
RSS