In a first for the school, both the Walnut Grove Secondary School (WGSS) Gators senior boys and senior girls volleyball teams won the Eastern Valley Athletics Association (EVAA) zone championships on Nov. 13-14.

WGSS Athletic Director Tyler Loo, who coached the girls team, said it was the first time that the girls or the boys have won since the former Fraser Valley championships were separated into two parts.

"And then, obviously, with it being a back-to-back sweep [by both teams], that's also a first time for our school as well," Loo told the Langey Advance Times.

Senior boys were coached by Tanis Payne, a former Gator who won a volleyball scholarship to SFU, then returned to coach at Walnut Grove 14 years ago.

"When I was with the girls, the boys' side wasn't wasn't as strong for a few years," Payne commented.

"They're like my little children at this point," she said. "They feel like my babies."

In one case, quite literally.

"My son [Isaiah Williams] went into grade 8 at Walnut Grove, so then I was able to start with his team in grade 8. This year, with my son in grade 12, we were able to win the championship, and he actually played the game of his life."

Gators senior boys won the championship even though setter Bennett Loeppke broke his finger, forcing Payne to move Ayden Kim back into that position. 

"He [Kim] hadn't played it all year. So that was amazing that he was able to come into his old position." 

In describing the senior girls team, coach Loo said they began the season as a group of grade 11s and 12s who hadn't had "very much success leading up to this year."

"It was definitely a rocky road for us to start, but the girls kind of persevered through that and have overcome a lot of adversity, and definitely were able to peak at the right time and have a very successful end of our season," Loo said.

Loo credits a change of attitude to a tougher, more resilient mindset for the win by the senior girls.

"Children of this kind of age category and this grade, they haven't really experienced mental and emotional adversity and overcoming [it]. They've been taught if the going gets tough, it's okay to quit or give up. With my coaching style, [it meant] me wanting them to be the best that they possibly can be, having to teach them that mentality is not okay in life, to push through things and persevere when the going gets tough.

"I think it took approximately two months for them to kind of get that attitude adjustment or that attitude change, and they finally did get it within the last two weeks."

Standouts identified by Loo on the boys team were Bennett Loeppke and Luke Schroeder – who are both on Team B.C. – along with Isaiah Williams, and Evan Loeppke.

Girls team notables included Chloe Rutquist, Lyla McKay, and Zaida Branco-Sibiya.

It was Loo's first year coaching at WGSS.

"I specifically chose Walnut Grove Secondary School because I've been coaching in British Columbia since the early 90's, then I left for Japan for 12 years and came back.  When I decided where I wanted to end up, Walnut Grove was actually where I wanted to end up, because I knew I could build a volleyball program here."