The Boys Latin School of Maryland boys’ volleyball team defeated John Carroll, 25-22, 25-23, 25-21, on Friday at The Middletown Athletic Center to win the MIAA B Conference championship. The sweep completed a perfect 10-0 league campaign and gave Boys’ Latin its fifth volleyball title.
The Lakers finished 14-2 overall and swept all but one MIAA B contest this season. John Carroll finished 11-7 and was the only team to claim a set against Boys’ Latin during the campaign.
Boys’ Latin Controls the Championship Match
Boys’ Latin fell behind 3-0 in the opening set before Justin Fedash’s team took control. A block kill by Brody Gray gave the Lakers an 8-7 lead, and a kill by Kemp Kelly helped spark an 8-1 run that moved Boys’ Latin ahead 17-10.
The Lakers closed out the first set, 25-22. The second set featured 10 lead changes and nine ties before Kelly broke a 20-20 deadlock with a kill, followed by three John Carroll errors that helped Boys’ Latin take command in a 25-23 win.
John Carroll stayed within reach in the third set before Boys’ Latin built a 21-17 advantage. After the Patriots cut the deficit to 21-20, coach Avery Engel called a timeout, and Gray responded with back-to-back kills as the Lakers completed the 25-21 set win and the 3-0 sweep.
Fifth Championship for Boys’ Latin
The championship marked the fifth volleyball title in Boys’ Latin program history. The Lakers previously won the MIAA B crown in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.
MIAA B volleyball competition returned for the first time since 2012 before last year’s championship. Eight letter winners returned for Engel, including starters Justin Fedash, Brody Gray, Kemp Kelly, TJ Shaw and Jonas Hazard.
“They wanted to do it again,” Engel said. “It’s difficult but they pushed through. They did a great job.”
Justin Fedash Closes Championship Career
Fedash, a senior outside hitter, said Boys’ Latin could not have performed better in the final. “I don’t think we could have done any better,” Fedash said. “I’m so proud of this for the guys. There’s no other ground that I want to share this (championship) with.”
Fedash came to Boys’ Latin to play baseball and will continue his academic and baseball career at Rhodes College starting next fall.
“Volleyball will definitely still be part of my life,” Fedash said. “I can’t get away from this…it’s too much fun.”
Young Lakers Scheduled to Return in 2027
Boys’ Latin also received contributions from senior middle hitter Chase Wehberg and sophomore libero Gavin Sterner. Sterner, junior setter Aden Edwards, sophomore middle hitter Laird Wilhide and junior outside hitter Kellen Grasmick are scheduled to return in 2027.
John Carroll coach Timothy Kutcher credited his team for a cleaner performance than last year’s championship game but said the Patriots could not overcome their mistakes against Boys’ Latin. “Today was cleaner than last year’s championship game, but when you’re playing against a team like BL, you can’t afford those mistakes,” Kutcher said. “We needed a cleaner game to keep pace with them.”
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Boys’ Latin turned a perfect league record into its fifth MIAA B Conference volleyball championship by sweeping John Carroll. The Lakers’ returning core helped deliver the title, while the scheduled return of four younger contributors gives the program a group to build around in 2027.
Source: Original report
