The boys high school volleyball season is already approaching the midway point and Rockford-area teams, players and coaches are hoping to be done with the fine-tuning, and be into the building-a-winner process.
And as the sport grows, so, too, does the list of stars from the Rockford area. This is our chance to spotlight as many of the boys volleyball standouts from this region as possible.
Some of the NIC-10 boys volleyball teams are clicking faster than others. Last year’s conference champion Hononegah and runner-up Guilford happen to be two of those who are already gelling.
“There’s definitely some talent in this area, for sure,” Guilford head coach Trace Noack said. “And this is going to be one of those wide-open seasons when a lot of players can take over, and a few different teams could win it all.”
Guilford split matches with both Hononegah and Boylan last year, but Hononegah took the NIC-10 title, with the Vikings taking second. This year, Guilford returns junior outside hitter Lukas Anderson and a couple of the league’s other top players, and they were the last undefeated team in the conference headed into the weekend.
But the toughest games for all of the top teams in the league are coming up quick.
“Our kids have a really great mindset going into this season,” Hononegah head coach Annie Curran said. Hononegah has won four of the past five NIC-10 titles. “They don’t want to be the class that loses it, so they’re ready.”
Hononegah hosts Harlem on Tuesday, and Guilford hosts Hononegah on Thursday. The Vikings are then at Boylan on April 22 and then Hononegah heads to Boylan on April 28.
As things unfold, here is a look at 28 of the top players in the NIC-10 during the first half of the season.
28 of the top stars to watch
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: As boys volleyball ramps up, here are 28 Rockford-area stars to watch
Reporting by Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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