The ball flies over the net, straight towards senior team captain Preston Jackson. Jackson hits it up, to set perfectly for senior Rhett Jorgensen to slam it back across, leading the team to victory.

     The Varsity Boys’ Volleyball team has been extremely competitive this season, winning most of their games with an 18-11 record as of April 22. The team is very close-knit, due to most of them being seniors. They’ve been friends for a long time, making teamwork a lot easier. 

     However, that does not mean that leading the team is not a challenge. Leadership is a huge part of success, and that leading edge has been perfected by Jackson as captain. The task comes with some pressure and responsibility. 

     “In games if we get in tough spots, and everyone’s looking for someone who’s going to save the day in a sense, and that pressure sometimes is a little heavy when everyone is turning to look towards me,” Jackson said.

     Jackson shares this burden of leadership with his father, Coach Charles Jackson. 

     “The father-son relationship with coach and captain is a delicate one, because I don’t want to push on him too hard and have it seen the wrong way. The interesting flip is that he has taken more leadership with the guys, more than most of my captains have, and I think that’s because he knows me so well,” Preston Jackson said.

     Preston can use this connection to his advantage on and off the court. 

     “I’d say in the gym, I’d feel like I’m communicating with him any way that the other players would, but it’s also helpful to know each other really well, when we’re in a bad situation I can turn to him and be like, hey, what do you think I should do here,” Preston Jackson said.

     They played six games at a tournament in Hawaii from March 23 to 25, winning two of them. More important than that was the fun experience it created for the team, with exciting activities such as cutting the coach’s hair and a tropical change of scenery for them.

     Playing alongside Jackson is teammate Rhett Jorgensen. He has developed with the team and enjoys the comradery of playing a sport with his friends.

     “I think we’ve bonded really, really well. Hawaii helped, of course, but we’re a bunch of friends going out and playing sports, and it’s a lot of fun,” Jorgensen said.

     As of April 26th the team had a record of 19-11, winning 5 of their 7 league games. Add information about CIF  Cut info about Canyon Crest because we go to press before and distribute after.