Warriors get a boost from Johnson’s magic

Westlake boys’ volleyball team wins Division 1 playoff opener with help from super sub




STEP RIGHT UP—Westlake High boys’ volleyball sophomore Devon Johnson stepped up with nine kills against Irvine on Tuesday at home.

STEP RIGHT UP—Westlake High boys’ volleyball sophomore Devon Johnson stepped up with nine kills against Irvine on Tuesday at home.

Thank goodness for Devon Johnson.

The sophomore stepped up for Westlake High’s boys’ volleyball team in the Warriors’ first-round sweep of Irvine on Tuesday at home in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

Johnson, who was swarmed by a mob of teammates after the 25-17, 26-24, 25-18 victory, replaced senior team kills leader Tyler Robinson at outside hitter. Robinson broke his left pinkie at a team party three hours before the playoff match.

“We’re pretty deep in terms of players, so we can weather having one or two guys out and still be in good shape,” Westlake head coach Doug Magorien said. “(Johnson) played an outstanding match for us and really helped us to the victory.”

Westlake, the division’s No. 7-ranked team with a 22-6-1 overall record, will play host to No. 9 San Clemente (23-9) at 7 tonight.

While Magorien said Robinson is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the postseason, the Warriors were in good shape with Johnson on the attack. The sophomore recorded nine kills and four blocks against an undersized Irvine lineup.

“Devon Johnson is an insane player,” senior middle blocker Reagan Cutler said. “He definitely stepped up tonight and helped us out a lot.”

Westlake cruised to a first-set victory, but a lackluster start to the second allowed Irvine to jump out ahead early. Johnson said the Warriors fell behind because they weren’t as focused heading into the frame.

Westlake’s size advantage was crucial in the second-set comeback. Two timely blocks by senior Everett Schuett and Johnson down the stretch gave the Warriors the close win. Westlake closed out the match with a convincing performance in the final frame.

“They had some jumpers, but blocking was key for us to winning that second set,” said Troy Magorien, a junior outside hitter and the coach’s son. “We had two humongous blocks that just killed their momentum.”

While the Warriors were able to get away with errors in the first round, Doug Magorien said that can’t happen again if they want to advance.

“We have to be good through the entire match,” the coach said. “A strong performance in set one will not dictate what’s going to happen the rest of the match. It’s a challenge. It’s not easy for 16- and 17-year-old boys to stay focused.”

San Clemente, which finished second in the South Coast League, toppled Santa Margarita in four sets in the opening round.

Magorien said the Warriors will work on getting on the same page before the opening serve of their second-round showdown.

“If we’ve lost Tyler we’re really going to have to work on the cohesiveness of the six players,” he said of his starters. “The biggest thing for us is to be healthy going in to San Clemente.”

Troy Magorien said the deep Warrior lineup is locked in.

“We’re ready to play anybody,” he said. “We’ve had players step up, and now we’re ready to play San Clemente.”

PLAYOFF UPDATE

Local boys’ volleyball teams embarked on missions for CIFSouthern Section glory on Tuesday night.

Oak Park, the top-ranked team in Division 2, made quick work of Saugus in straight sets in the first round at home. The defending champion Eagles (27-4 overall) travel to Lakewood to take on the Lancers (18-10) at 7 tonight.

Newbury Park (22-10) swept San Marcos in a Division 1 opener on Tuesday to set up a second-round match against topseeded Mira Costa (23-5) at 7 tonight at home.

Thousand Oaks (17-15) fell to Palos Verdes (29-8) in straight sets in the Division 1 opening round for the second straight season.

In Division 3, Viewpoint (15-7) toppled Bishop Diego in straight sets to set up a secondround showdown against topranked Quartz Hill (23-2) at 7 tonight at home.


 

 

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