Foothill boys crave school’s first championship

Foothill’s boys volleyball team has never won a league, region or state title since the school opened its doors in 1999.

The Falcons, though, are optimistic this season will be their breakthrough. After all, nearly everyone is back from last season’s state tournament team.

“They know what the goal is,” Foothill coach Chris Sisson said. “Right now, the focus is just to get better every day. I’ve told them, ‘You’re capable of playing the last game of the season.’ They’ve just got to make sure they work on the fundamentals every single day. Can’t take a day off.”

Foothill, which lost a five-set match to Legacy in the Division I state semifinals last season, will open its season against Desert Oasis at 3 p.m. Friday in the second annual Las Vegas Invitational. The 32-team tournament features top squads from Arizona, California and Nevada.

“We haven’t won a state championship in anything in this school,” Sisson said. “To be the first group, I just want it for these kids. That’s what they’ve had their heads on for years. To be apart of it would be awesome, too, but I know it won’t come easy.”

Foothill has played in the state tournament in two of the last three seasons and was the state runner-up to Coronado in 2013. In both years, the Falcons were swept in the Sunrise Region final.

But this might be Sisson’s best team in five seasons. The Falcons return six starters, and will be one of the top teams in the Sunrise Region.

“We have more experience than we did (last year),” senior middle blocker/outside hitter Eric Szukiewicz said. “It’s almost like all the teams we lost to last year, we have a personal agenda against them and want to take them down.”

If everything goes according to plan, the Henderson-area school won’t be banner-less much longer.

“I’ve been challenging them,” Sisson said. “I told them, ‘If you guys want to achieve what you’re capable of achieving, you’ve got to come ready to work every single day.’ There’s going to be a target on our back.”

And the Falcons are ready to embrace that target.

Senior Shilo Chow, a first-team All-Southern Nevada performer, will be the difference maker. He’s the only current player to have been on both state tournament teams.

“Shilo’s our guy,” Sisson said. “If he’s on, if he’s blocking well, if he’s attacking and just putting a good ball up and moving and playing defense, he really has the potential to be the best player in the city.”

The 6-foot-4-inch setter — who had 540 assists and 94 digs a season ago — doesn’t take the high expectations lightly.

“It’s a really big deal,” Chow said. “Not only for us, but for our school. It would be the first state title, region title, anything for this school. It would really put a mark on our school.”

However, the Falcons must replace the production of Colin Curi, who was an All-Southern Nevada first team performer last season.

Sisson believes Szukiewicz, Mason Hansen and Tyler Jacob will answer the call.

The 6-3 Szukiewicz had 66 kills a season ago and will anchor the front line.

“This is a really, really strong year for us,” Szukiewicz said. “We’ve got a lot of seniors who are strong and have a lot of club experience. And we’ve got younger kids as well. Club seems to be the major key.”

Though the Falcons will be playing in the Southeast League — arguably the toughest in Southern Nevada — the expectations haven’t changed.

“I feel good about this year,” Chow said. “I’m really hoping we can surpass what we’ve done in the past. And finally win that evasive state title.”

Contact reporter Ashton Ferguson at aferguson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430. Follow him on Twitter: @af_ferguson