Dr. Joaquín García boys volleyball wins first district title in thriller with Lake Worth

Dr. Joaquín García and the Lake Worth boys volleyball teams have woven storybook seasons.

The oldest school vs. the newest school met Thursday night in the district finals at Garcia’s shiny new gym, and something had to give.

It turned into a classic. Garcia won the first two sets, dropped the next two, then survived in the fifth set 15-12 to claim the 1A District 15 championship before a raucous crowd featuring die-hards from both sides.

They chanted and cheered across the 2½-hour slugfest that saw the school with the Carolina blue colors post arguably its most dramatic sports victory in the not-quite-concluded first year in school history.

The fifth-set triumph brought veteran coach Erica Green, formerly of Park Vista, to tears as she hugged each player. Garcia’s first-ever girls volleyball team won districts and the Bulldog boys matched it with its 26-24, 28-26, 23-25, 22-25, 15-12 epic win.

“I can’t put it in words," Green said. “We’re a first-year school. First, the girls did it in the fall. Now, the boys did it. They’ve never played together before. They came together when it counted. It went to five sets and they never faltered. Such an incredible, amazing feeling."

Garcia, which gave Lake Worth its only loss earlier in the season, came out clutch by squeezing out the first two sets that went past the limits. Junior Adam Masri, the 6-foot-7 outside hitter, surged late in the first set and then took over late in the second set, his kills giving the Bulldogs 26-25 and 27-26 leads.

“It was an absolutely incredible experience," said Masri, who finished with 17 kills. “They were a great team. We just had to bring it back together as a team in that fifth set. District champs the first year is amazing."

More: Haitian Sincoul family helps elevate Lake Worth boys volleyball to historic season

The hero in the fifth was freshman Riley Joros. The school does not have a senior class so freshmen have a better chance of getting playing time. Joros finished with 20 kills, 10 service points and seven digs.

Joros hit a slam winner from midcourt to stake the Bulldogs to an early 5-2 lead. Standout defender Garrett Deese followed that up with a winning smash for a 6-2 lead and the screaming fans could taste it.

“To be honest, I think we all got low-energy and I know I was tired (in the third and fourth sets)," Joros said. “I had a cookie snack after the fourth set and I was good to go."

On championship point at 14-12, Joros ended it with a kill.

“Riley was on fire tonight," Green said. “He was physically exhausted and he pushed through."

Lake Worth, which entered the match at 17-1, was led by its superstar Alendy Sincoul, a 6-4 outside hitter who can crack winners at the net from all angles. A scholarship recipient to Concordia University in Irvine, California, Sincoul was sensational, especially in the second and third sets.

The throng of Trojans fans trekked to the western edge of Lake Worth and whooped and hollered after Sincoul’s blasts, tapping their heads to mimic Sincoul’s favorite celebratory maneuver.

But Sincoul, who has put Lake Worth volleyball on the map with the Trojans failing to win districts since 2005, also heard derision from the home side. After a few of his kill attempts were blocked back for Garcia points, the Bulldogs' patrons chanted “Overrated.’’

“I did me," said Sincoul, whose sister, Nehemie, coaches the team. “I put the ball away anytime I could. I passed the ball when I could, led my team and gave encouragement."

But it wasn’t enough. Lake Worth, now 17-2, heads to regionals as a top seed.

“It’s just a learning aspect — we've learned now twice from this team," Sincoul said. “If it wasn’t meant from God it wasn’t supposed to happen. We have to be proud of our team.  It’s still an historic season. We haven’t made it to regionals in 20 years. This game is forgotten now and we go to regionals for bigger opportunities."

Garcia made Sincoul work for every one of his kill shots.

“I know him from club," the coach, Green, said. “We watched film on him. We did everything we could to try to stop him. We did a good job getting touches on him. When you have a guy like Alendy, it’s tough to play against him. He can put the ball anywhere on the court. Kudos to him. But my boys got it done."

Garcia junior setter Dylan Guillenea was magnificent, recording 41 assists,11 service points and five blocks. Deese mustered 18 digs, 15 kills and 11 assists. Service mistakes took them down in the third and fourth sets, however.

“I tried to tell them even if we’re one set away, don’t ease up, but we let two sets go," Green said. “Our team has been in five sets so many times. They have the experience. They played with heart, determination and they did it."

And the fans made the gym sound like it had never sounded before, the noise bouncing off the high windows. Garcia moved to 19-9.

“I’m so happy the crowd was here to support," Masri said. “They were definitely helping us out, cheering us the whole way."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dr. Joaquín García boys volleyball wins first district championship