(Pictured: Junior, Luke Bockius jumped up to spike the ball.) (This article is a clip of an article that was written and released by KEN WUNDERLEY of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The original and full article can be found by clicking here.)
Sheila Mitchell became Canon-McMillan's boys coach in 2015 and the Big Macs struggled that season with a 2-10 section record.
Since then, it's been nothing but playoffs for Canon-McMillan. The Big Macs have made six consecutive appearances in the postseason and tied for the Section 1 title last year with Upper St. Clair.
This season, Canon-McMillan is on track to win its first outright section title. The Big Macs finished the first half of section play with a 5-0 record, which included a 3-1 win over Upper St. Clair. The Panthers are in second place with a 4-1 mark.
"I'm very pleased with the way we played in the first half," Mitchell said. "We had a strong group of returning starters, so I'm not surprised by how well we've played."
A balanced attack has been the key to Canon-McMillan's success. Junior outside hitter Luke Bockius leads the team with 97 kills. Senior opposite Owen Ostrowski is a close second with 87 kills, and senior middle hitter Ben Fincham is third with 73. Two others have 50 or more kills. Bockius also leads the Big Macs with 24 serving aces.
"It's nice to have so many hitters making a contribution," Mitchell said. "It makes it a lot tougher to defend us."