The Arcola Senior Boys volleyball team, led by coach Eugene Brown, took gold at the 2A Boys Regional Volleyball Championships Nov. 19. Six schools competed at the South Regional Championship, which was hosted by the Arcola School.
Arcola, Stoughton, and Wawota competed in Pool A Round Robin, with Arcola and Stoughton advancing to the semi-finals, while Wolseley, Milestone, and Cupar competed in Pool B Round Robin, with Milestone and Cupar advancing to compete in the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals Arcola defeated Milestone winning the first and third set to advance to the regional finals, while Cupar defeated Stoughton, also winning the first and third set and advancing to the 2A Boys Regional Volleyball Championship finals.
The Arcola Panthers defeated the Cupar Wildcats in the first two sets, with a score of 25-18 in the first set and 25-22 in the second set. Both Arcola and Cupar advanced to Provincials, which were held Nov. 25 and 26 in Meunster.
Winning the championship game at their regional championships was exciting for the Panthers, who held a pep rally at the Arcola School on Friday, Nov. 25 before leaving to compete at the 2A Boys Provincial Championships held in Muenster.
The Panthers competed in the Provincial Championship Pool B at Muenster Round Robin. Arcola continued to defeat Muenster and Hepburn on Friday before losing the final two games of round robin to Leader and Paradise Hill in some very intense and close games. The Arcola team qualified for playoffs with having won 2 of the 4 games.
Arcola went on play an amped up game against Waldheim in the playoffs. The Arcola Panthers unfortunately lost by two points in the final set of the quarterfinals, which meant the boys would advance no further in the Provincial Championships. "The boys played exceptionally well, elevating their game as the tournament progressed. They displayed great sportsmanship and were fine ambassadors for our school," commented the senior volleyball boys coach, Eugene Brown.
