Redwood High pulled off a huge win over Tamalpais in the MCAL boys volleyball final at Archie Williams High School in San Anselmo. That’s three Marin County Athletic League titles in a row for the Giants, and this one really showed off their growth, depth, and some pretty electric moments all season long.
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Redwood Wins Third Consecutive MCAL Championship
This one was a four-set thriller. Fans from all over Marin County—San Rafael, Larkspur, Mill Valley, you name it—were glued to every point as the Giants beat Tamalpais 25-18, 25-27, 25-21, 25-16 at Archie Williams High.
Redwood’s record jumped to 18-7, and get this: over the last three years, they’ve gone 43-1 in league and playoff matches. That’s wild.
Turning Points and Team Adjustments
Tamalpais grabbed the second set and tried to ride that wave in the third. Redwood didn’t panic, though.
Coach called a timeout after Tam’s run, and the Giants came out firing. Evan Wang rattled off seven straight points from the service line, and suddenly Redwood had all the momentum again.
That run really showed how much discipline and smart play matter, especially late in a tight match.
Stat Leaders and Key Plays
Will Garland hammered down 16 kills and looked unstoppable in the middle. Grady Armstrong added 13, Luke O’Donoghue put up 11, and Bode Ward chipped in 10—so Tamalpais never really knew where the attack was coming from.
Leighton Olsen set the table with 53 assists, keeping things smooth and steady. Armstrong’s 2.54 passing average on 13 attempts and Wang’s 2.29 on 36 tries really kept serve receive locked in.
Seth Cabrera-Ampie came up with a huge block in the third set, and Redwood pulled away from there. Their passing, setting, and defense just felt rock solid down the stretch.
- Armstrong and Atherton jumped into volleyball from other sports and made an impact fast—kind of the secret sauce for Redwood’s success.
- The Giants’ depth showed when Tamalpais tried to turn up the heat; Redwood always seemed to have an answer.
- That timeout and the serve receive afterward? Absolutely changed the match.
From Multi-Sport Roots to the MCAL Stage
Armstrong and Gavin Atherton both started out in other sports before finding volleyball. Their stories are pretty common in Marin County—lots of athletes here switch things up and end up starring on the MCAL stage.
It’s cool to see how quickly they’ve found their footing, and honestly, it makes you wonder who the next breakout will be.
A Season That Built Marin County Volleyball Strength
Redwood’s triumph speaks to a larger narrative across Marin County. From the courts in Mill Valley to the gymnasiums of Sausalito and Corte Madera, something special happened this year.
The Giants didn’t win on a single star performance. Their success came from depth, a balanced attack, and consistent passing—these became the backbone against the area’s strong programs.
This season showed how a program rooted in Archie Williams High’s San Anselmo corridor can really cultivate talent. They’ve built a steady culture and turned it into late-game execution that matters in MCAL title games.
- Location matters: The Archie Williams complex in San Anselmo set the stage for a county-wide showdown.
- Local pride: Fans traveled from neighboring towns—Tiburon-style evenings in Tiburon, evenings in Sausalito, and weekend crowds in San Rafael—to support Redwood and Tamalpais.
- Future looks bright: Senior leadership from players like Garland, along with the evolving skill of Armstrong and Atherton, bodes well for the Bay Area volleyball pipeline, from San Geronimo Valley to the Flats of San Rafael.
Family members and coaches in Novato, Ross, and Fairfax kept close tabs on the MCAL arc. Redwood’s 2023–24 season stands as a testament to how Marin County unity—from Larkspur to San Anselmo and beyond—can turn high school volleyball into a shared, county-wide celebration.
Here is the source article for this story: Boys volleyball: Redwood tops Tam for MCAL three-peat
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