High school boys volleyball: Grantsville’s Ethan Powell shines in 3A championship win

Top-seeded Grantsville entered Saturdays 3A volleyball championship without dropping a single set in any of its postseason matches, including 3-0 sweeps over both Carbon and Ogden.

The Cowboys were rolling, and the only thing standing between them and the first-ever 3A state title were the North Sanpete Hawks.

The Hawks have had Grantsville’s number all season, winning all three regular season meetings against the Cowboys, including a 3-0 sweep on April 20.

Grantsville was determined to flip the script, and it stunned North Sanpete with a convincing 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 sweep for the 3A title.

“We lost to North Sanpete three times this season, but we never played our best against them,” said Grantsville head coach Kelli Rexford. “It was just mental. The boys just came in ready to get things done and they did it.”

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It was North Sanpete that caught the early 6-2 lead in the first set, thanks to a pair of aces from senior Jackson Wilkey.

Grantsville gave up four aces in the first set, but it tightened up its return to take the 25-22 set win and didn’t give up another ace throughout the match.

“We really focus on our mindset and letting mistakes go so we can stay ready for the next ball and next point,” said Rexford. “We focused on staying up and staying focused because mistakes happen, and they knew what to do.”

Grantsville senior outside hitter Ethan Powell had no issues getting started with six kills in the first set and five in the second.

“My setter put it right in the spot I needed it, and it made it so easy for me to put it down,” Powell said. “I owe it all to my teammates for giving me the looks so I could execute.”

Powell, a member of the Cowboys’ boys basketball team, learned to play volleyball for the inaugural season.

“(Ethan) has improved so much,” said Rexford. “I am so proud of that kid because he used to get so hard on himself. Ethan has improved so much and he rallied this team, and he really is a great role model and inspiration for all of them.”

North Sanpete caught a little momentum in the second set and tied the game 20-20, but the Cowboys swiftly answered with a 5-1 run to solidly take the 2-0 lead.

“It’s all about the huddle,” said Powell. “I’m a new volleyball player so I didn’t know about that dynamic, but we all lift each other up and forget our mistakes and we stay in the present. We stayed in the present today and that really helped us.”

In the third set Grantsville took a much-needed timeout as the Hawks took a narrow 19-18 lead and were starting to gain momentum.

Isaac Nordgren stepped up big for the Cowboys with back-to-back aces to retake a 22-20 lead, which snowballed to a 25-23 third set win.

Powell also kept up the pressure with eight kills in the final set and finished with 19 total in the 3-0 sweep.

“These guys, we all have a love for each other,” Powell said. “We all work together, and we knew, ‘It’s going to be us, we’re going to take it.’ We all love each other and we’ll do anything for each other.

“Its amazing, we had all this tension building up and we all wanted it so bad. We lost to (North Sanpete) three times, one of those times losing 3-0, so we were ready today.”

It was an emotional win for Grantsville showcasing its growth since it had many players learn to play volleyball for this season.

“It means everything because they don’t play club ball. We’ve only been playing for two and a half months together and these boys deserved it,” Rexford said. “They put in the hours, the work and they just want the win and we’re so proud of them.”