Shaler boys volleyball sweeps Warwick to earn return trip to Class 3A state finals

By: Dave Mackall
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 | 8:59 PM

ALTOONA — Shaler seniors Logan Peterson and Dante Palombo, best friends since their elementary school years, walked briskly through a doorway leading from a locker room to the playing court at Altoona Fieldhouse.

With a bounce in their step, Peterson, with Palombo a few steps behind, anxiously smoothed down his hair with the palm of a hand as he approached a group of adoring family and friends.

“This has definitely been something special to experience,” he said. “I’ve never been a part of a team with this sort of connection. It’s what takes us to the next level.”

Both players, headed to Division III power Juniata in the fall, just led Shaler to another PIAA championship match in boys volleyball as Peterson posted 12 kills and 11 digs and Palombo added 11 kills and three blocks in a 3-0 semifinal victory over Warwick on Tuesday.

For a second year in a row, the Titans will meet Parkland in the Class 3A final in a rematch of Parkland’s dominating 2023 best-of-five victory in straight sets.

“Last year, Parkland had experience in a state championship game,” Palombo said. “This being our second time around and with our whole group back, except for one senior we lost last year, our experience should take us a long way in this run.”

Zach Rosenwald contributed 36 assists for Shaler (19-1), which will play Parkland (20-3) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Class 3A championship match at Penn State’s Rec Hall.

District 11 champion Parkland ousted Central York, 3-0, in the other semifinals match at Cocalico High School in Denver in Lancaster County, handing the District 3 champion its first loss in 19 matches.

“We’ve handled the pressure of playing from the top well,” Shaler coach Paul Stadelman said. “This is such a seasoned crew. I have 12 seniors. The boys stuck to the game plans, they remained focused, and they showed a lot of discipline in games.

“It’s nice to be at the top of Western Pennsylvania and represent our half of the state in state championship game.”

Shaler breezed through the first two sets against Warwick, winning 25-16 and 25-15. But the WPIAL champion Titans were challenged down to the wire in a 25-23 victory in the third-and-deciding set of the best-of-five match.

They rallied from a one-point deficit to outscore District 3 runner-up Warwick, 4-1, to close out the final victory as Palombo and senior Peyton Planz blocked the Warriors’ final hit, sending the ball to the floor and Shaler’s bench onto the court for a postgame celebration.

Parker Gooding led the Warwick (15-4) with 11 kills, and Kyle Charles, a 6-foot-6 outside hitter headed to St. Francis (Pa.), added 10. Nathan Wenger led the Warriors in assists with 36.

“In the third set, we actually did what we could to play normally. It just didn’t go our way at the end,” Warwick coach Foster Lobb said. “Hats off to Shaler. They’re a phenomenal team. They play very well together.”

The teams also met in the first round of the PIAA playoffs in 2023 with Shaler prevailing by a 3-0 score.

“They were here (in the semifinals) before. They’ve done it before,” Lobb said. “We’ve never done it before (in Class 3A).”

Warwick previously played in the state semifinals in 1995 when the PIAA offered just one classification.

Shaler raced to a 15-4 lead in the first set and never was threatened, winning by a nine-point margin.

The second set saw the Titans break loose for a 12-8 advantage that ballooned to 19-12 en route to the 10-point victory.

The third set was a dogfight, but Shaler came out on top.

“We’ve been preaching chemistry and playing defense,” Peterson said. “We preach a championship culture, and we preach the fact that we still get to go to practice. It’s a privilege that we get to do this. It’s our last run. We want to make it worthwhile.”

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