
By Jay Leon Guerrero

Okkodos setter Rai Santos makes a nice quick set to the middle hitter for the kill. (photo by Joey Blas)
The defending IIAAG Boys Volleyball Champion Okkodo Bulldogs are two victories away from repeating as champions after defeating the Guam High Panthers in straight sets (26-24, 25-20, 25-20) Saturday night on their home floor.
The Bulldogs were pushed to the limit against a much-improved Panther team that did not go down without a fight.
The win was expected from the Bulldogs, but their road to victory was no walk in the park.
“I’m really proud of the team, it has been an honor to coach them this season,” said Panther coach Brian Matanane. “They have exceeded my expectations, they put out their best performance.”
The Panther faithful cheered as they stunned the Bulldogs in the first set, taking a 14-11 advantage. Henry Haight and Donovan Johnson-Coleman were flawless in the opening set with Haight notching two kills and a block and Johnson-Coleman getting a pair of blocks in the middle.
“The guys in middle had big blocks and we didn’t expect that. They really caught us off-guard,” said Okkodo’s second team all-islander Gary Aromin. Aromin’s defense and good passes helped the Bulldogs in their comeback to force a deuce at 24-all.
The Panthers were unable to get a side out and surrendered the first set after two unforced errors. A very relieved Bulldog team huddled after the first set and knew they were in for a battle in order to get to the next round.
The Bulldogs came out strong in the second set and held on to an early three point lead. Kin Edusada kept the Panthers within striking distance with three kills to cut the Bulldog lead to 12-15. The Bulldogs went on a 4-1 run with setter Rai Santos finding Brian Crowe and Aromin to take a comfortable seven point lead.
The Panthers clawed back and got kills from Haight and Leon Bamba to force the Bulldogs to call a timeout.
The Bulldogs’ Ian Ilagas came up big after the timeout to close out the second set on a 6-2 run with two kills for the close 25-20 victory.
In the third set, first-team all-islander Aiden Ferrera helped the Bulldogs to an eight-point lead with four kills. The Bulldogs held on for the straight set win and a 25-20 close out victory. Crowe had the final kill of the game.
“We came out really sloppy, but thankfully we regrouped ourselves. They came to play; they weren’t the team we played previously (in the regular season) and I give them a lot of credit for that,” said Ferrera who led the Bulldogs with 8 kills.
“We learned not to take any team lightly no matter what their rankings may be. We have to bring our A-game every time,” said Aromin.
Edusada had 7 kills for the Panthers. Ilagas, who was also voted as a first-team all-islander, had 7 kills for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs will wait to for the winner of the FD vs JFK winner for a semi-final showdown.
Due to Prom nights on Saturday evening, there will be three games on Tuesday with the Southern Dolphins (6th seed) taking on the Harvest Eagles (3rd seed), the Father Duenas Friars (5th seed) taking on the JFK Islanders (4th seed) and the ND Royals (7th seed) taking on the GW Geckos (2nd seed).
The lower seed is the home team and all games start at 6pm in a best-of-five set playoff format.
PHOTO GALLERY:

Okkodo Aiden Ferrera hits a cross court shot that would find the line for the kill. (photo by Joey Blas)

Bulldogs Brian Crowe goes up for the monster kill in the third and final set against Panthers. (photo by Joey Blas)

Guam Highs Kin Edusada makes a nice save in the back court to keep the rally going for the Panthers. (photo by Joey Blas)


Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
GPS Sports Calendar
May 2022
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for May
2nd
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET #4
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
3rd
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL QUARTERFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
5th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
6th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
7th
GPD HOT PURSUIT 5K
MARIANAS OPEN
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
Events for May
9th
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET #5
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
10th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER All-Star Meeting
IIAAG GIRLS BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG GIRLS SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
10th
Events for May
12th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL ALL-ISLAND MEETING
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
ISA GIRLS SOCCER SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
12th
Events for May
14th
14th JUDICA CRABAO 5K
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA GIRLS SOCCER FINALS
Events for May
16th
ISA TRACK & FIELD ALL-ISLAND MEET
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE All-Star Meeting
Events for May
17th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
18th
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
IIAAG GIRLS MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Events for May
19th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
20th
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL All-Star Meeting
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
21st
Pre-Memorial Day 13-Miler
GETTING GUAM HEALTHY 5K BUBBLE RUN/HEALTH FAIR
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD All-ISLAND MEET
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE FINALS
ALPHA WARRIOR ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE FINALS
2022 Guam Track & Field National Championships
Events for May
23rd
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
24th
Events for May
26th
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
27th
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Events for May
29th
Events for May
30th

Volleyball
VOLLEYBALL ALL-STAR PLAYERS DRAFTED

Volleyball
TITANS COMPLETE PERFECT 2022 SEASON

Volleyball
VOLLEYBALL ALL-STAR PLAYERS DRAFTED

Baseball
DODGERS HAND TRITONS FIRST LOSS

Volleyball
TITANS COMPLETE PERFECT 2022 SEASON
Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
COMING SOON …
- YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE KICKOFF June 4
- Todd Gurley Football Camp on Andersen
- GSPN Boys Volleyball All-Star Game
- Pacific Mini-Games in Saipan