It’s not Groundhog Day in July, though it might seem that way with the familiar faces that are part of the 2024 VolleyballMag Boys High School All-American awards.
For Loyola High School of Los Angeles, it’s a doubleheader win, with the Cubs going back to back as the VolleyballMag Boys High School Team of the Year and standout outside hitter and UCLA-bound Sean Kelly the consensus pick as VolleyballMag.com Boys High School Player of the Year.
Our Coach of the Year honor also goes to a familiar face, that of Chicago Marist High School Jordan Vidovic, who wins the honor for the second time on the boys side since 2019 after leading the RedHawks to the Illinois state title against an extremely formidable landscape in what traditionally is known as the second most competitive area for boys volleyball in the country. Vidovic has now won three VBM high school coach of the year honors. He also was VBM’s girls high school coach of the year in 2017.
For Kelly, his selection for the top individual national honor was as close to a slam dunk as it comes. The Manhattan Beach, California, product was dominant for the Cubs, racking up 555 kills in 79 sets. He was set 942 times and hit a staggering .502 (only 82 errors), while also amassing 38 total blocks, 131 digs and 33 service aces. Kelly was good for an average of 7.81 points per set.
“Sean is the best player to ever to come out of Loyola,” said longtime Cubs coach Michael Boehle, a 1984 alum of the school. “It’s the person he is, the humbleness, the determination and desire. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He’s a two-time CIF player of the year, been player of the year at the national level, MVP of his division at club nationals.
“What Sean has accomplished, you can’t deny. There have been some incredible volleyball players that have come through Loyola. Based on what Sean has done in his career at Loyola and outside of here, he will be the best boys volleyball player to have come out of this school. He’s a great kid. What he’s done is incredible.”
Kelly, indeed, was humbled when told of Boehle’s glowing remarks.
“I try not to compare myself to others, but those are super nice words,” he said.
What Kelly did want to talk about, however, was the leadership role he played in helping shepherd the Cubs to a California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division I title (first SS title since 2016) and the CIF SoCal Division regional title for a second year in a row.
“Leadership-wise, I wanted to help the team move forward,” he explained. “How can we get better in every part of the game and do it together? I like being a leader. It’s nice to be able to help other guys on the team get better.”
Loyola senior outside hitter Emmett Martin rated Kelly an A-plus in the leadership department. “Sean was always trying to fire the team up and be a leader on and off the court,” he said. “Our team respected and valued whatever he said and relied on him to get us through the tough times that we needed to get through to win.”
Loyola senior setter Parker Schloss backed up exactly what Kelly’s stats bore out this season.
“Other than the fact that Sean consistently hits over the block, he’s smart and limits his errors,” he said. “His serve is also a huge factor in winning matches because he helps us go on long serving runs.”
Kelly, who had 27 kills in the SoCal regional title win against Mira Costa, said he didn’t mind being the guy with the bull’s-eye on his back this season.
“I love getting the ball and I love being able to control what I do with it, whether there are six hands in my face or no hands in my face,” he said. “I love being able to swing.”
Kelly, who also posted a 4.3 grade-point average at Loyola, noted his accomplishments and those of his teammates meant even more given the constant pressure-cooker they played in the ultra-tough Southern California boys volleyball scene.
“We played in the best region in the country against the best competition,” he said. “That makes what we did that much more special. We had a lot of new guys playing. Our middles were two basketball guys. Everybody stepped up and had a role in us winning.”
When asked how he would like to see his legacy defined at Loyola, Kelly again deferred to the team concept, as well as the longstanding tradition of excellence established at the school.
“I want to be remembered as a team player and someone who helped keep the tradition at Loyola going,” he said. “I want that tradition that has been set to stick with the players coming back.”
Looking back to when he showed up at Loyola as a freshman, Kelly said his improvement has been night and day.
“I have improved exponentially since I was a freshman,” he said. “I put a lot of work in the gym with getting bigger and stronger.”
Boehle had slightly stronger words to describe his star pupil’s ascension.
“I distinctly remember him as a freshman on the varsity being a deer in headlights, like Bambi,” he said. “He was trying to figure things out. He accepted his role and kept getting better and better and took more responsibility on his shoulders. This year, he was a man among boys, and his ceiling is still higher. Sean’s not done yet.”
2024 VolleyballMag Boys HS All-Americans
FIRST TEAM
Name Ht. Pos. Year High School
Sterling Foley 6-5 OH Sr. Corona del Mar (Newport Harbor, California)
Riggs Guy 6-4 OH Sr. Newport Beach (California)
Cole Hartke 7-0 OH Sr. Barrington (Illinois)
Sean Kelly 6-7 OH Sr. Loyola (Los Angeles, California)
Victor Loiola 6-3 OH Sr. Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, California)
Jake Pazanti 6-0 S Sr. Huntington Beach (California)
Jacob Little-Phillips 6-1 OH-S Jr. Winter Park (Florida)
Parker Schloss 6-1 S Sr. Loyola (Los Angeles, California)
Christian Teresi 6-4 S Jr. Marist (Chicago, Illinois)
Parker Tomkinson 7-0 OH Sr. Carlsbad (California)
Nathen Toth 6-3 OH Jr. Marist (Chicago, Illinois)
Kainoa Wade 6-9 OH Jr. Kamehameha (Honolulu, Hawai’i)
SECOND TEAM
Name Ht. Pos. Year. High School
Kaumana Carreira 6-8 MB Sr. Tesoro (Las Flores, California)
Christian Connell 6-5 OH Sr. Torrey Pines (San Diego, California)
Johnny Dykstra 6-1 Lib. Sr. Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, California)
Gage Gabriel 6-8 MB Sr. Exeter (Reading, Pennsylvania)
Ben Hutchinson 6-7 OH Sr. Brebeuf Jesuit (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Tyler Johnson 6-2 OH-S Jr. Cypress Bay (Weston, Florida)
Finn Kearney 6-5 OH-RS Sr. O’Connor (Phoenix, Arizona)
Connor Oldani 6-5 OH Sr. Brophy Prep (Phoenix, Arizona)
Hunter Stepanich 6-7 MB Soph. York (Elmhurst, Illinois)
Reed Wainright 6-7 OH Sr. St. Margaret’s (San Juan Capistrano, California)
Ben Winokur 6-2 MB. Sr. Edison (Huntington Beach, California)
David Wolff 6-8 OH Sr. New Trier (Winnetka, Illinois)
HONORABLE MENTION
Ephraim Abhulime, MB-OH, Sr., LaSalle (Providence, Rhode Island); Tyler Alden, OH, Sr., Valley Christian (San Jose, California); JP Candrain, OH, Sr.. Horizon (Winter Garden, Florida); Simon Capps, OH, Jr., Loyola (Los Angeles, California); John Clinton, OH, Sr., Cherokee Trail (Aurora, Colorado); Vinny Coello, OH, Sr., Catholic Memorial (Waukesha, Wisconsin); Jackson Cryst, OH, Jr., Sage Hill (Newport Coast, California); Juanmarco Diaz, OH, Jr., Southwest (Miami, Florida)
William Dryden, OH, Jr., Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, California); Timothy Ennis, OH, Sr., Scotch Plain-Fanwood (Scotch Plains, New Jersey); Ambrose Engling, RS-OH, Sr., Middleton (Wisconsin); Ryan Enos, OH, Sr., Cathedral (San Diego, California); Jack Fitterer, S, Sr., Marquette (Milwaukee, Wisconsin); Zach Flynn, RS, Sr., Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, California); Ryan Gant, S., Sr., Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, California); Adam Haidar, MB, Sr., Punahou (Honolulu, Hawai’i); Owen Holowecky, S-RS, Sr., Seminole Ridge (Loxahatchee, Florida); Brogan Glenn, Lib., Jr., Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, California); Soren Jepsen, MB-RS, Sr., Olympus (Holladay, Utah); Cooper Keane, OH, Jr., Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, California); Ryan Keco, OH, Sr., Brecksville-Broadview Heights (Broadview Heights, Ohio); Stef Kins, DS-Lib., Sr., Loyola (Wilmette, Illinois); Max Law, OH, Sr., Midlothian (Virginia); Alex Lillie, MB, Sr., Connetquot (Bohemia, New York); Ryan Louis, OH, Sr., Shadow Ridge (Surprise, Arizona); Casey Maas, OH, Sr., Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn, Illinois); Emmett Martin, OH, Sr., Loyola (Los Angeles, California); Adam Mitti, MB, Sr., Liberty (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania); Kianoush Mohebbi, MB, Sr., Torrey Pines (San Diego, California); Justin Moua, OH, Jr., Clovis (California); Jensen Pascua, RS-S, Jr., Douglas County (Castle Rock, Colorado); Evan Porter, OH, Sr., Punahou (Honolulu, Hawai’i); David Quinnones, Libero, Sr., Torrey Pines (San Diego, California); Eamon Rigdon, RS, Sr., Servite (Anaheim, California); Tyler Robinson MB, Sr., Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California); Ethan Saint, OH, Sr., Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, California); Jake Schreiner, OH, Sr., Wheaton (Illinois) North; Elan Taylor, OH, Soph., Valley Christian (San Jose, California); Micah Tumas, S, Sr., King’s Academy (West Palm Beach, Florida); Aidan Weltin, OH, Sr., Glenbard East (Lombard, Illinois); Aidan White, OH, Sr., Fairport (New York); Caden Whiteside, OH, Sr., Olentangy Liberty (Powell, Ohio)
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