By Jennifer Eisenbart
Sports Editor
In the end, top-ranked Appleton North maybe had one too many weapons for the Burlington High School boys volleyball team.
The Demons left everything on the floor – including seeing senior libero Garrett Schilling leave with cramps in both legs – before falling 25-23, 25-27, 25-18, 25-12.
North ends the season undefeated at 34-0, while Burlington drops to 33-4 – with three of those losses to North.
“Appleton North played really hard, and we played really hard, and they just came out the victor,” said Schilling.
Please see below for game action.
7:00 p.m. – And North wins the state title, taking set four 25-12. Back with photos and comments later.
6:52 p.m. – Burlington calls timeout down 16-5 in set four. North has taken over, and Burlington looks like it’s out of gas.
6:48 p.m. – BHS is forced to take a timeout, down 9-3. The Demons, who have fought with everything they’ve had all tournament, seem to have hit a physical wall all of a sudden. North, meanwhile, is riding all sorts of adrenaline.
6:47 p.m. – Schilling tried coming back and cramped again. He’s out again.
6:40 p.m. – North takes set three, 25-18.
6:37 p.m. – Schilling is back on the bench and stretching, don’t know if he’ll come back. BHS calls timeout down 21-15 in set three.
6:32 p.m. – BHS’s Garrett Schilling has been sacrificing his body to get balls up, and it looks like it’s taken a bit of a toll, as he’s cramped up.
6:27 p.m. – BHS calls timeout down 9-4 in set three. North’s Ryan Albers has temporarily taken over, with three straight kills.
6:19 p.m. – We’re even at one set apiece here, as BHS takes the second set 27-25 when North just could not handle a pass off a BHS hit. The North fans behind me seem to be a tad bit stunned that their team has, in fact, actually lost a set to BHS.
6:17 p.m. – Crazy exchange here, and North is serving down 24-23.
6:14 p.m. – Burlington calls timeout as North has pulled within 22-19 after BHS led 22-15. Again, BHS isn’t doing anything wrong. North is just that good. Both teams are playing awesome volleyball.
6:08 p.m. – This match has just lived up to every bit of its billing so far. Nolan Rueter just slammed a kill to give Burlington a 15-11 lead, and North calls timeout.
5:55 p.m. – That was a killer way to end the set, as BHS hit a ball just out, and then North’s Drew Eastman hit an ace to give his team the 26-24 set win. Eastman has been the focus of the team’s inspiration this week, featured on the team’s t-shirts. His father died unexpectedly last week.
5:53 p.m. – BHS calls its second timeout, after leading 24-22 and now seeing the score tied at 24-all. This has just been wonderful, high-level volleyball on both sides.
5:48 p.m. – It’s tied at 17-17 and Burlington calls timeout. The whole BHS is chuckling after a complete mishit by junior standout Nolan Rueter that tied the set – including Rueter.
5:37 p.m. – If North was the overwhelming favorite, someone should’ve told them – and Burlington. North is forced to call a timeout as BHS jumps out to a 7-1 lead in the opening set.
5:33 p.m. – And we start!
Good evening, folks. We’re live here at Wisconsin Lutheran College for the WIAA boys state championship game. In about five minutes, Burlington High School will face off with Appleton North for the title.
Appleton North has topped the state rankings all year, while Burlington was ranked No. 2 in the final poll.
Please refresh often for updates.
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