Photos take by Roberta Pratt.

Maddie Arthur

The Hamilton Boys volleyball team recently made history, winning Hamilton's first State Championship for boys volleyball in a thrilling 5 set match!

The Chargers came to state with a winning mentality, comfortably sweeping Kenosha Indian Trail in 3 sets (25-18, 25-18, 25-11). The Chargers then faced Germantown who they beat in 3 sets (25-22, 27-25, 25-21) after coming from behind in an exhilarating second set.

The defining moment for the Chargers was the championship game against the former champions: Middleton. The Chargers dominated the first set 25-10 and then later came back from a two set deficit, securing a victory in the final set 15-10. The final results for the state game were 25-10, 23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-10. It was a surreal moment for the team, which had been focused on this goal since the beginning of the season. The team's success can be attributed to their relentless determination, exceptional teamwork, and supportive coaching.

The Feeling of Winning

The final whistle blows, the crowd erupts, and the teams line up to shake hands; Hamilton is officially the State Champion. In a moment so surreal, almost like the movies, the players felt a wide range of emotions. What did it feel like to become a state champion?

The feeling of winning the state championship was an out of body experience. It felt like a dream, and being able to experience it with my close friends made it even more memorable. I was proud of what we were able to accomplish together, and it felt well deserved. After falling short from this experience last year, it felt like everything came to a full circle. —Ezra Mitchell

The feeling of winning was very surreal, as I was in disbelief on the court. But once I got back into the locker room about 10 minutes after the game, it started to hit me as I was celebrating with my team that was like family and had the music as loud as it got. I really just could not believe that we had won the game, especially after being down in the middle of the game. —Cole McCoy

When my team won state, it felt as if it was just a regular match. We shook hands, and I said good game. It only kicked in that we won the state championship when the referees handed out the medals to Middleton. I was filled with mixed emotions. I was excited because we won but sad that this was it, my last game. —Tyler Breier

Memorable Moments

Although they were all business on the court, the Chargers still managed to have lots of fun. Whether it was in the locker room, on the bus, or in the hotel, there were many enjoyable moments at State. What were the team's favorite moments?

My favorite memory with the team at the state tournament was walking out of the tunnel before the championship game and seeing all the fans cheering for us. It gave us confidence and gave us motivation to win. —Henry Mrotek

My favorite memory with the team would have to be the pre-game locker room. Every time before our games, we would have a speaker blasting music, and we would dance too. Something about the place we were at and the excitement of my teammates made it one of the best moments in state. —Tyler Breier

My favorite memory with the team was dancing and singing in the locker room before every game. We would just have a fun time, which helped keep us away from any stress that most other teams would have before a game. —Ezra Mitchell

The obvious answer would be that winning the chip is the best moment. Although it was great, now looking back on it, my favorite time was spending time with my team and being able to hangout with them for three days until the seniors would play their last games because that would really be the last time I would be able to be with the team as a whole. —Cole McCoy

Overcoming Challenges

Even though the Chargers made winning look easy, they overcame many challenges such as dealing with nerves in against a tough opponent and keeping a positive mindset throughout the whole game. What were some of the toughest challenges the team faced at State?

The biggest challenge I faced during the state run was definitely trying to keep my energy up and trying to keep the team’s energy up when we were playing Middleton. When we got scored on I could just tell we all got angry and needed some sort of boost. So I would have to say just trying to keep the energy up in general. —Tyler Breier

The biggest challenge I faced during my state run was trying to get good sleep because it was so fun to stay up late and the nerves made it tough to fall asleep. —Henry Mrotek

Handling the Pressure of the Big Stage

With so many fans watching, there's lots of pressure to perform and no room to hide from everyone's judgment. This added factor of stress to live up to people's expectations on top of playing in need-to-win games creates a special atmosphere. How did this atmosphere affect the players?

As a team, we just came in and had fun, which really helped. For me personally, I've played in this type of match before, so it was really nothing new to me. We didn't worry about the new gym or atmosphere because we know that everybody’s playing in a new arena, and at the end of the day, we're just playing volleyball. It was nice to have more fans and know that our program is getting some recognition. —Benjamin Bayer

Personally, the atmosphere didn’t affect me too much. Honestly, it was a surreal experience and being there was so amazing, but I think the games leading up to state had so much more significance to me as that was our goal that we didn’t achieve last year. I kind of just enjoyed the moment and took it one step at a time, not worrying too much about what was around me but the game in front of me. —Craig Oberlin

I overcame the pressure in the championship game by staying positive and thinking about how it is my last high school game. This gave me a good mindset and helped me have fun and play my best. —Henry Mrotek

The Role of Coaches and Teammates

Support from coaches and teammates is pivotal to success in such an important tournament. It's clear from their success that the team had great coaching and a strong connection. How did coaches and teammates help the team succeed on the court?

Coach Grey Little not only helped me succeed on the court by encouraging us, but he also was able to give direct feedback to everyone in the huddle with just the minute we got in a timeout. My teammates also helped me on the court by telling me what the game plan was; this was a key factor to my success as I have little experience in these high intensity situations as I am the youngest on the court with only being a sophomore. —Cole McCoy

They helped by just being a family. We've built up our chemistry and connected the entire year, and we all love spending time together, which really helped in high pressure situations as it just reminded us/me that we're just playing volleyball with our/my friends. —Benjamin Bayer

My teammates helped me stay locked in the game and not focus too much on my mistakes. Coach Little helped me focus on improving and strategy; Coach Lee helped me stay happy and always found a way to make me laugh at something stupid. —Craig Oberlin

Responding to Adversity on the Court

Against Middleton, the Chargers faced the tough battle of coming from behind. In a situation where every point counts and everyone is watching, it's almost impossible to stay calm. How did the Chargers stay calm and complete their sensational comeback?

Surprisingly, our team was not nervous even after being down during the 1-2 deficit. We had such a good bond and trusted each other enough to believe that we would win that game. Despite being down, we played the game to the best of our ability with a smile on our faces. Our bond ended up giving us enough motivation to finish with a win. —Ezra Mitchell

It was just like any other after any other set or timeout, go out and win. We know that we're good enough to beat any team and come back if we're down, so we just have the same mentality as always. —Benjamin Bayer

My mindset was that one’s behind me, we’re a good team and we know that. We’ve got Ben & Cole at outside and Big T at right side, not to mention Andrew and Henry. I knew we were the best team in state, and we just had to go out and prove it. As Ezra likes to say, where’s the fun in winning in 3? —Craig Oberlin

After an amazing 2023 season with a fairytale ending, the team is celebrating their win and looking forward to the future. For many players, the victory wasn’t just the trophy but the bonds and memories they made with teammates during the season. Although the Chargers will lose seven seniors and have big shoes to fill, the team has lots of young talent, strong coaches, and a reputation to fulfill. If they hadn’t already, everyone now knows who the champions are: Hamilton Volleyball. This state title may have been their first, but it won’t be their last.