A match for the ages

In sports writing, wins and losses and endless stats only go so far. In the end, its about finding the story within the story. Last Saturday’s Div.

JUST GETTING STARTED—Head coach Mike Talamantes (middle) reminds his players that they’ve got two more wins to go after the Patriots’ swung the momentum and took game threeV championship boys’ volleyball match featuring Viewpoint School of Calabasas against Pasadena Poly was full of those tales.

There was the story of the little private school team that despite it’s perfect 29-0 record and a 88-3 record in games, hadn’t truly been given the respect it deserved.

NOT THIS TIME—VIewpoint senior Alex Robertston and junior Jared Weiss combine to block the spike attempt by Pasadena Poly standout Phillip Rosenberg. Senior Blake Beisswanger looks onThere was the story of their coach—Mike Talamantes—and his brother, Matt, a sophomore setter on the team—and how the death of their father had brought them to Viewpoint in search of a new beginning, and in search of a CIF title that their family had talked about since Matt’s childhood.

But most of all, it was the story of 13 young men who simply refused to say “no,” even with defeat staring them straight in the face, and overcame a daunting deficit to prove they were worthy of perfection.

BROTHERHOOD—Mike and Matt Talamantes, who came to Viewpoint following the death of their father in 2003, embrace at midcourt after the Patriots’ thrilling victory“When we went back in the huddle after we went down two games to none I just grabbed the seniors and said ‘This our time. This is not over for us,’” said outside hitter Robbie Silverman, who had 14 kills for the Patriots, including three critical spikes in the opening minutes of the momentum swinging third game.

“We came back out like the undefeated, 29-0 Viewpoint Patriots and earned a championship.” Viewpoint’s five-game thriller was easily the day’s most exciting match as the Patriots battled back to win their program’s first ever CIF title, 18-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-14, 1513. Those who packed the gym at Cypress College could hardly deny that there was something more at work than just good defense and effecting hitting as the Patriots completely turned the match around on Poly and its 2004 Div. V Player of the Year Phillip Rosenberg.

Just ask coach Talamantes, who kissed a gold cross on his neck and pointed to the sky at moments in the match when he felt he needed his father most.

Same for junior outside hitter Jared Weiss, who lost his father, Ralph, in January 2003.

“Those guys were definitely in the building,” coach Talamantes said.

“What happened out there was truly a miracle. Something like that doesn’t happen any other way.” Mike Talamantes Sr., who coached for eight years at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles and won five city section titles, passed away May 11, 2003 of a heart attack.

After the match, coach Talamantes and his brother could barely hold back tears as they met for an embrace at center court knowing they had seen one of their father’s dreams come to fruition— they’d won a CIF title and they’d done it together.

“This had been my dad’s dream all along, and I imagined him up there watching us,” said Matt Talamantes, who anchored the Patriots’ attack with 38 assists. “This was a mission eight years in the making. Every time I got a point, it was for him.” For Weiss, who finished with nine kills, many of them at critical junctures in the game, the feelings were similar.

“Every one on this team had something invested in this game. It meant a lot to all of us,” Weiss said.

“But I just kept thinking about what my dad always used to say, ‘Play your heart out.’ And that’s what I did. I leaned on my dad when he was here and I leaned on him then..” After Rosenberg opened the match at what looked like an unstoppable pace—scoring 18 of his match-high 34 kills in the first two games—the contest quickly turned into a battle of Rosenberg vs. the Patriots. In the end, Viewpoint showed why volleyball is and will always be a team game.

“We always said the second-best team in this division was our bench,” Silverman said. “People have said that we’re the deepest team ever assembled in Div. V.

“We knew if you shut down Phillip Rosenberg you shutdown Poly,” he added.

After middle blockers Julian Nagendran and Alex Robertson (team-high 15 kills) frustrated the Princeton-bound Poly senior in games three and four, Rosenberg ended the deciding fifth in game by hitting his spike just outside. As some players noted afterwards, it would be hard to replicate the match in a well-thought up script.

“I could’ve never dreamed I’d win a CIF championship like this,” Silvermann said. “It was like it was out of a movie.” Not to mention, it felt good to have to play their absolute best in order to win, especially after cruising through most of their matches in the regular season.

“We had our backs against the wall, no doubt. It was put up or shut up,” Matt Talamantes said. “We had to prove we had the hearts of champions. It’s how a CIF match should be.” Viewpoint lost to Brentwood in the finals in 2002 and then promptly graduated its best player. After long-time coach Rae Basmagian stepped down in 2003, the team was expected to go through a rebuilding period.

Not so, said coach Talamantes, because players were willing to put in the extra time it required to get back in championship form.

“I can’t say enough about these guys, and they showed it to everybody tonight in this match,” the second-year head coach said. “They never doubted for a second that they could win this match, even when everything looked like that’s how it was going to go. I saw it their eyes. And they went out and played unbelievable volleyball and beat a team that was playing great.

It’s really amazing.” The Patriots graduate five seniors: opposite Mike Payne, outside hitter Karim Megji, opposite Blake Beisswanger, Roberston and Silverman.