Top-seeded Foothills Christian captures second straight Division 4 boys volleyball title

Experience, especially at the highest level, pays off.

Foothills Christian, the defending CIF San Diego Section Division 4 boys volleyball champion, called on its championship familiarity to come from behind in all three sets to edge The Cambridge School 29-27, 25-22, 26-24 at Southwestern College.

The Knights (26-5), the No. 1 seed, advance to the Southern California playoffs. Saturday marked their ninth win in a row.

The Cambridge School with under 100 students, finishes 21-8. The school has been in existence for seven years, and this is the first championship appearance for the Griffins in any sport.

“I think our experience, having been here last season, really paid off,” said Foothills Christian sophomore outside hitter Hunter Hamilton.

“We won in three, but it wasn’t easy. I watched film of Cambridge, and this was the kind of match I expected. And we realized right away they were a quality opponent.”

Hamilton finished the match with 25 kills, three blocks and a pair of service aces.

At 6-foot-5, he says football — where he plays tight end and defensive end — is his No. 1 sport.

“For a boy his size, he does some incredible things,” said Foothills Christian coach Roxanne Hamilton, Hunter’s mother.

“Hunter does things you shouldn’t be able to do. Last year, I was pulling kids from football, soccer, and basketball. Now we go back-to-back.

“We needed Hunter’s best today because Cambridge was an incredible opponent. It only went three, but they pushed us to the limit.”

Hunter Hamilton had 10 kills in a back-and-forth first set that was tied at 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27. Hamilton’s kill tied the set at 27; his block was the set winner.

In the second set, his monster kill decided it.

And in the third set, Hamilton had nine kills, including one that put the Knights up 24-23 and 25-24.

“Last year we went five sets, so it was really tough,” Hamilton said. “But I have to hand it to Cambridge. They were really good.”

Logan Hamilton, Hunter’s brother, finished with six kills and a pair of blocks. Caleb Garcia had four kills.

Jonathan Ho, a junior, led Cambridge with 17 kills. He also had three service aces. Andrew Eppich backed Ho with four kills, three blocks and an ace.

“We’re a small school with a huge community following,” said Cambridge coach Chris Mendoza. “We’re getting our name out there, getting some recognition. Six years ago, I was pulling kids from everywhere. Now we have 15 players who are great friends. We’re very blessed. And I could be more proud of the way we played.”