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Los Angeles Times
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Daily Pilot Boys' Volleyball Dream Team: Sage Hill's Jackson Cryst could do it all
Jackson Cryst has likely always been the big man on campus. The 6-foot-10 outsider hitter took the Sage Hill boys' volleyball program to new heights during an unbelievable two-year stint that was no tall tale. While much remains ahead for Cryst, who is joining reigning national champion Long Beach State to continue playing volleyball, his high school career closed three weeks ago with the highest of highs. Sage Hill, largely because of Cryst, went down in history as one of the inaugural boys' volleyball state champions, as the Lightning beat San Francisco International 25-19, 25-16, 25-23 for the CIF State Division III title. Cryst had 23 kills, three service aces and 1½ total blocks in the state final, the last game in an extended winning streak that spanned more than six weeks. The season-saving streak began on April 17 with a five-set win over Portola that got the Lightning back to the .500 mark after an 0-5 start. Sage Hill (22-11) grabbed an at-large bid into the Southern Section's Division 4 bracket, then made good on that chance by edging Santa Barbara in five sets for its second consecutive CIF title. After winning back-to-back CIF titles and earning divisional player of the year honors in his two seasons at Sage Hill, Cryst is the Daily Pilot Boys' Volleyball Dream Team Player of the Year. Cryst insisted that winning championships was not a byproduct of 'the Jackson show,' saying that he learned about how to lead a team and make others around him better. Junior Connor Gapp, who split his playing time between setter and opposite, and junior outside hitter Ryan Manesh became key contributors. 'I think that was a really surprising challenge that I wasn't ready for, that I'm not just going to be able to jump my way and hit my way out of everything,' Cryst said. 'That helps in crunch-time matches, but volleyball is the ultimate team sport. I can't hit a ball without someone setting it, and you can't set it without someone passing it, so I think it was really incredible to actually be able to understand that. Now, if I can apply that to a higher-level team, then it makes the game so much more fun to play, and then also we're just so much more effective at winning volleyball matches.' Arriving at Sage Hill as a junior transfer from Long Beach Millikan, Cryst had an immediate impact on the fortunes of the Lightning. Sage Hill needed all of Cryst's eye-popping 54-kill performance to come out on top in a five-set Division 5 final against San Marino for the program's first CIF championship in 2024. 'Jackson is a great leader,' Manesh said. 'It's truly a blessing to be on the same team as him because the amount of volleyball knowledge that he spreads and preaches to us, it's so helpful to our game. … I remember our five-set match against [Simi Valley] Royal, he was talking to us about what Karch Kiraly, the greatest volleyball player of all time, told him. … 'Before the fifth set, he said Karch Kiraly told him, 'Nobody wants the easy 3-0 experiences. The best champions, they live for the five-set matches,' and that helped push us to the win against Royal. Just inspirational words like that, the knowledge that he has, the skills. He's 6-foot-10, but his ball control is insane.' As a two-sport athlete, Cryst also played in the post for the boys' basketball team. Sage Hill advanced to the Division 3AA quarterfinals in his junior year, and this past season, they were the runner-up in the same division. So much of that was challenging. First came frustration with transfer sit-out periods. Then as a senior, the physicality and the time commitment of a senior basketball season that extended into the early part of March with regional playoff qualification was eating away at a volleyball season already underway. Cryst credited D'Cean Bryant, Sage Hill's boys' basketball coach, with helping him to understand the life lessons involved while navigating those situations. 'I think that he was really right there with me through all that, and not in a way where he's just trying to make me feel better, but in a way where he's telling me what I need,' Cryst said of Bryant. 'This last year, too, where I'm committed to college for volleyball, and I'm in basketball season, going well into volleyball, and I'm frustrated. I'm voicing to him that I'm extremely frustrated. 'I'm a volleyball player. Why am I doing this? I'm getting double- and triple-teamed in games, getting beat up.'' Bryant's message was one of honoring your commitments and being where your feet are. 'He was like, 'I don't know when this is going to serve you, but it's going to because at a certain point in your life, you're going to have to do something that you don't want to do. How are you going to respond to that? Are you just going to show up and not be there, not really do it, or are you going to be all-in to whatever you're doing?' It's a character thing, and I think that did really serve me well,' Cryst said. Jordan Hoppe, who took over as the Sage Hill boys' volleyball coach this year, called Cryst a 'student of the game' and also referred to some of the athleticism he displays on the court as incomprehensible. He said he has seen Cryst do the splits. 'The athletic ability, being 6-10, is something you only see in a few athletes to ever live — I think Wilt Chamberlain being number one,' Hoppe said. 'I think it's a good comparison because I think Wilt was one of the most athletic 7-footers to ever play basketball. I think Jackson is not only arguably the best player in the country, but he's arguably one of the most athletic players in the country, even at 6-10, which is even more remarkable.' Craig Pazanti Huntington Beach Huntington Beach (36-5) enjoyed a season to be proud of, even if it fell short of the ultimate goal. The Oilers spent the season looking up to Mira Costa as the nation's top team, but they earned multiple bites at the apple in the postseason, meeting the Mustangs in the Division 1 section final and the Division I regional final. Huntington Beach went undefeated in the Sunset League, securing its first league title since 2016. The Oilers advanced to their first CIF final since 2021. Ben Brown OH | Corona del Mar | Jr. What can Brown do for you? For the Sea Kings, the answer was a lot. Brown, who transferred from Elmhurst York in Illinois, paid immediate dividends for CdM (24-7), which came one match shy of reaching the Division 1 final. The All-CIF Division 1 and Sunset League first-team selection compiled 451 kills, 144 digs and 42 aces. Henry Clemo OPP | Newport Harbor | Jr. Clemo packed a punch from the right pin and the service line, rarely holding back on a swing. A fiery competitor, the junior opposite provided infectious passion that helped elevate Newport Harbor (27-12), which was one of three Sunset League teams to qualify for the Division 1 playoffs. Clemo was a first-team all-league honoree. Kai Gan S | Huntington Beach | Sr. After sharing the setting duties with Jake Pazanti as a junior, Gan handled the role in all rotations as a senior. Gan, a Harvard commit, shared the Sunset League MVP award with Logan Hutnick, his top option and an emerging star for the Oilers at outside hitter. The All-CIF selection churned out 1,454 assists to go with 175 digs, 54 blocks, 39 kills and 29 aces. Nick Ganier Jr. MB | Huntington Beach | Sr. Ganier Jr. had the effect of opening up the entire offense, as teams could not lock in solely on Logan Hutnick and Ben Arguello on the pins. When opponents made that choice, they paid a price for doing so. Ganier Jr., a first-team all-league selection, supplied 212 kills on a .403 hitting percentage and contributed to 68 blocks. Brogan Glenn L | Corona del Mar | Sr. A three-year starter for the Sea Kings, Glenn's passing contributions were vital with his team breaking in a new setter in Drake Foley. Glenn, a UCLA-bound libero who earned All-CIF and Sunset League first-team honors, provided 263 digs, 22 kills and 16 aces. Logan Hutnick OH | Huntington Beach | So. Huntington Beach fell one set short of its first section title in a decade, but Hutnick will surely be at the forefront of the revenge tour. Hutnick finished with 560 kills on a .318 hitting percentage, adding 204 digs, 72 total blocks and 30 aces. The All-CIF honoree had 22 kills, 13 digs and 2½ blocks in the Division 1 final. Position, Name, School, Year OPP Ben Arguello, Huntington Beach, Jr. L Aiden Atencio, Huntington Beach, Sr. MB Jack Berry, Newport Harbor, Sr. L Nathan Jackson, Edison, Sr. OPP Connor McNally, Edison, Sr. OH Kai Patchell, Laguna Beach, Sr. OH Hudson Reynolds, Pacifica Christian, Sr. OPP An Nguyen, Ocean View, Sr. OH JP Wardy, Newport Harbor, Jr. S Charlie Von Der Ahe, Newport Harbor, Jr. MB Billy Watkins, Fountain Valley, Jr.
Los Angeles Times
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Sage Hill boys' volleyball secures state title with sweep in Division III final
Sage Hill boys' volleyball swiftly put up one program first after another over the last two seasons, the crown jewel arriving Saturday in the inaugural state championships. When the hardware was handed off to Sage Hill coach Jordan Hoppe, he raised the trophy — shaped like the state of California — above his head. His players surrounded him and began chanting in celebration. This was the pinnacle of a two-year run led by a transformative force in Jackson Cryst, the 6-foot-10 outside hitter headed to Long Beach State. Cryst had 23 kills, three service aces and 1½ total blocks, as Sage Hill swept San Francisco International 25-19, 25-16, 25-23 in the CIF State Division III final at Fresno City College. 'It was a business trip, and I think everybody took it really seriously, and that's why we got the result that we wanted,' said Cryst, who transferred from Long Beach Millikan for his junior year. 'Nobody came in there to mess around, and I think that showed in the clean sweep.' Sage Hill (23-11) finished the season on a 13-match winning streak, which also saw the Lightning claim a second section title in as many seasons by beating Santa Barbara on the Dons' home court in five sets in the Division 4 final. 'The season's over now,' Cryst added. 'I think for so long, it was always on to the next game. Even after winning CIF, we knew the job wasn't finished. To finally be able to know that the season was over, we did all we could and we won and we reached that goal, I think that was super motivating for everybody. It was honestly a huge relief. If you look at everybody on match point, it was almost like a huge sigh of relief that we did it.' Junior Connor Gapp, who split his playing time between the positions of setter and opposite, supplied 24 assists, six kills, three aces and 1½ blocks. 'It's kind of like a symbol of what we've done,' Gapp said of bringing home a state championship trophy. 'Winning felt the best, and touching that trophy, maybe taking a few pictures with my teammates, my coaches, my trainer, my family, especially, that was really sweet to be with all of them. 'The trophy will always be up at Sage. The banners will always be there. It will be nice to look at that next year, maybe give us some motivation to do something similar in the future.' Junior setter Jonathan Ye contributed 14 assists and an ace. Junior outside hitter Ryan Manesh added 11 kills and an ace. Junior middle blocker Carson Ellis had two kills and two block assists, and junior opposite Dylan Han chipped in with three kills. Manesh struck a similar chord to Gapp, noting the 'journey' that led the Lightning to the championships was what was most important to him. He recalled the team bonding experiences, such as playing card games on the bus. 'These memories are going to last a lifetime,' Manesh said. 'Obviously, winning the finals, that has a special place in my heart, but like the team, the team culture, the team bonding, just this team as a whole, I'm going to remember them for the rest of my life.' Santino Scanlon had eight kills, an ace and a solo block to lead International (27-8). Lyndon Song and Liam Wilson each produced five kills, and Colton Klingebiel added four kills and two blocks. Hoppe reflected on the title, saying 'it's very cool to be on the right side of history.' 'To be able to do that is just an incredibly special achievement and honor,' Hoppe said of bringing Sage Hill its first state title in a male sport since the school opened in 2000. 'To be remembered in the gymnasium with a banner up there and just to think about the guys on this team, and just the total buy-in of all the individuals on this team. It was incredible. 'Clearly, we had arguably one of the best players in the country, Jackson Cryst, but that's just one player. Our team was able to really buy in and elevate their game to support and to provide the right team chemistry to make this thing happen.'
Los Angeles Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Sawdust Festival artists take on teaching in seminar at Sage Hill
Ron Shearer's artistic journey began at home, but it wasn't until decades later that he reconnected with those roots through a chance encounter while abroad. Shearer recalls cutting tile for his mother's mosaic hobby in his youth. While abroad in Italy in 2009, he walked into a shop of a mosaic artist, and it brought those memories back to the surface. 'I didn't foster it then, or I didn't fall in love with it [as a child],' Shearer said. 'I was 8 years old, and I wanted to go out and ride my bike. About 52 years later is when I went to Italy, and I walked into this fellow's shop, and I said, 'Wow.' This reminded me of what I did with my mom.' The Santa Ana native came back from that visit and taught himself how to do mosaic art, using what he observed in that shop and a few of the mosaics he still had from his mother's work in the 1950s. Shearer, who said he has exhibited at the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach for 25 years, started in metal sculpture. He has since rededicated his efforts to mosaic and often teaches classes or works out of his booth while on the grounds. This week presented an opportunity to offer some inspiration to others, as Shearer was one of a handful of Sawdust artists to give students a hands-on experience at Sage Hill School. 'The biggest hurdle that I have to overcome from teaching someone, whether it be kids or whether it be adults, is that it is a deferred gratification,' Shearer said of mosaic art. 'It takes time to do a mosaic, and it's something you can't hurry. A lot of people want to sit down and finish it in an hour and a half, and it's really hard to do. It takes time to do it.' Needing to make the task manageable within school hours, the students worked on mosaic coasters that were approximately 4 square inches on Friday. Shearer came prepared with 10 different colors of cut tile, glue and coasters to serve as makeshift canvases. Students had a chance to cut and arrange tile pieces, then come up with a design before attempting to glue and assemble a finished product. Some packed geometric shapes into stars, while others placed living things such as fish into the body of their design. The workshop was part of the inaugural Sawdust Art Festival Survey, one of nearly two dozen seminars offered to students at the school through the Spring at Sage program. 'Sage Hill and Sawdust Art Festival are natural partners as institutions of creativity and excellence in Orange County,' said Daniel Langhorne, a school spokesman. 'We're very grateful for these professional artists inspiring our students to explore new media and express themselves.' AnnJo Droog, director of art education at the Sawdust Festival, said other participants in the week-long collaboration included Hedy Buzan, Gabe Sullivan and Julie Setterholm. The program also exposed students to copper enameling, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and sketching. There wasn't much work to do in terms of securing artists for the workshops, said Droog, who added, 'Everybody wanted to come.' 'What my job really was to do was to be mindful of what we were going to give the students,' Droog said. 'So try to give them really diverse art experience, so that's why we've jumped from printmaking to painting to mosaics, so they get a taste of a lot. They've had a lot to learn this week, but they're an amazing group, and they're really into it, as well. They're really intent and focused on their work. It's fabulous.' Preserving the artists colony is often a topic of discussion in Laguna Beach, which is home to three art festivals, including the Festival of Arts and Laguna Art-A-Fair. Droog dreamed about the possibility of building the colony with more artists. 'Sharing [art] with the younger generation and getting them enthusiastic,' Droog said. 'If we have created inspiration in somebody in that room who wants to make art a career, 'Wow,' what an achievement.'
Los Angeles Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Sage Hill, Huntington Beach to play for boys' volleyball regional titles
The Sage Hill boys' volleyball team swept visiting Woodland Hills Taft 25-19, 25-19, 25-18 on Thursday to advance to the CIF State Southern California Division III regional final. Top-seeded Sage Hill (21-11) will play host to No. 3 seed San Diego Clairemont (28-10) in the regional championship game on Saturday at 6 p.m. Long Beach State-bound outside hitter Jackson Cryst had 23 kills, six digs, five blocks and two service aces to lead the Lightning, currently riding a season-best 11-game winning streak that has already seen Sage Hill earn the Southern Section Division 4 title with a five-set victory at Santa Barbara on Saturday, May 17. It marked back-to-back CIF championships for the program, which also won the Division 5 title last season. Junior outside hitter Ryan Manesh contributed 12 kills for Sage Hill, and junior opposite Dylan Han provided six kills. Junior setter Connor Gapp added nine digs on defense, and freshman libero Ethan McNutt also had eight digs. Huntington Beach 3, Corona del Mar 1: Junior opposite Ben Arguello had 18 kills to pace the host Oilers in a 23-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-21 win on Thursday in a Division I regional semifinal. Sophomore outside hitter Logan Hutnick had 15 kills, 13 digs and three block assists for Huntington Beach (36-4), which advances to a CIF finals rematch at Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (35-2) on Saturday at 6 p.m. The top-seeded Mustangs, ranked No. 1 in the nation, edged the second-ranked Oilers in five sets in the CIF Division 1 title game at Cerritos College on Friday, May 16. Harvard-bound setter Kai Gan dished out 53 assists for Huntington Beach against CdM (25-7), which placed second in the Sunset League. Junior outside hitter Colin Choi contributed 15 kills and eight digs, and senior libero Aiden Atencio provided 13 digs. Senior middle blocker Nick Ganier Jr. had seven kills and 2½ blocks. Senior middle blocker Justin Bulsombut chipped in with four kills and four block assists.
CTV News
19-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
OHS investigating after employee of Calgary supermarket who felt unwell dies in hospital
The T&T Supermarket in Sage Hill is seen on May 18, 2025. (CTV News) Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is investigating the death of a Calgary supermarket employee who felt unwell while on the job and later died. OHS said a worker at the T&T Supermarket located in Sage Hill was taken to hospital and died on May 12. 'It is always tragic when a worker dies on the job,' OHS said in a statement. CTV News has reached out to T&T Supermarket for comment. No further details were provided by OHS as the investigation is ongoing.
