04.20.20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Seniors Spike HS League by 20% But Lose Entire Season

 

While Texas’s newest high school volleyball league has officially shuttered its 2020 season, it expects 2021 to be a record year, largely thanks to the recruiting work of graduating seniors who will never have an opportunity to celebrate the fruits of their accomplishments.

 

Those seniors include Keller High School’s Connor Henderson, who overcame cancer at the age of 14 with sight set on playing high school volleyball, only to move to a state with few options.

 

His mother, Gina Henderson, said he was devastated. “He eventually came back to us and said he would be supportive of the move but asked that we help him find a way to play in Texas,” she said. In Keller, they found Texas Boys High School Volleyball through President Travis Ferguson. Henderson did the extraordinary—like so many of the league’s seniors. He found a coach, convinced his school to approve the sport, recruited players and worked to raise the funds to play.

 

Travis Ferguson, moved by his encounter with Connor said, “Getting to help enable and then to watch Connor compete last season was one of the most rewarding parts of being part of this league.”

 

Texas Boys High School Volleyball League (previously Texas Boys Varsity Volleyball League) has grown exponentially during the past four years, seeing a 20 percent growth in teams and a 75 percent growth in crowds. That growth comes in large part thanks to seniors from 12 Dallas-Fort Worth high schools, who inspired three new institutions to start teams this season alone and attracted in excess of 150 fans and visitors per match.

 

The Texas Boys High School Volleyball League has grown to 12 teams over the course of these seniors’ careers, due to their encouragement of friends to start teams; their persistence in convincing coaches, athletic directors and boards to approve the sport; and their passion for volleyball which brought out droves of friends, families and classmates as spectators.

 

The league now boasts more than 150 athletes from area high schools. But a season meant for the celebration of hard work and dedication, has now been shuttered—and those student athletes whose sweat equity back set their league now seek solace in their legacy for future players and teams and the lessons they learned along the way.

 

“Even though losing his senior year in volleyball, Connor is much stronger and walks away with a bigger heart, with more courage, perseverance and motivation to conquer the future,” said Gina Henderson.

 

 

SENIORS

 

Allen High School Seniors

#1 Quintavious Allen

#12 Sean Hodkinson

#29 Paul Salvo

#18 Nathan Wander

 

Keller High School Seniors

#17 Faizan Firdaus

#6 Paxton Coley

#9 Connor Henderson

#40 Michael Cook

#41 Austin Rejceck

#23 Calix Sanchez

#24 Alex Chmiel

#3 Matt Kang

#2 Kennedy Vien

#21 Ben Sampson

#11 Daniel Cho

 

Jesuit Dallas High School Seniors

#9 Alejandro Cepeda

#6 Cooper Herndon

#14 Mekhi Parker

#2 Cameron Pham

#7 Ben Rodenbaugh

#4 Taten Thompson

#10 Michael Turner

 

Lovejoy High School Seniors

Leighton Archer

Rendle McCarthy 

Harper Pool

 

Plano Senior High School Seniors

#10 Tristen Cox 

#12 Keaton Long

 

Rockwall High School Seniors

#10 Noah Ferguson

#11 Zach Scoggins

#23 Bao Nguyen

#0 Drew Schultz

 

Wylie High School Seniors

#22 Tommy Garriga 

#10 Chase Kloza

#1 August Lakes

#9 Mason Lang

#11 Travis Mabry  

#12 Jackson Nalley 

#7 Aimen Nesru

#6 Grayson Phillips  

#2 Luke Tyehimba

#5 Noah Tyehimba

#4 Tommy Vuu

#19 Lane Winger

 

Other Schools with Seniors:

Byron Nelson High School

Flower Mound High School

Frisco Independence High School

Rockwall-Heath High School