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Area standouts named to All-SJS volleyball team, all-star game
Boys volleyball awards
Sierra’s Primo Estandarte sets the ball against Lathrop. - photo by Wayne Thallander

 Primo Estandarte is one of three recent grads selected to play in the Sacramento Breakfast Optimist Club’s 25th annual high school all-star volleyball event this Saturday at Jesuit of Carmichael.

Boys volleyball awards
Gabriel Fa’ali’i makes the pass during Lathrop’s non-league match with East Union.
The Sierra High alumnus was also one of five players from the area named to the 3rd annual All-Section Boys Volleyball Team. Lathrop sophomore Gabriel Fa’ali’i made the All-SJS First Team.

East Union’s Jai Aquino and Ripon Christian’s Preston Zuidervaart will join Estandarte on the small school south team coached by St. Mary’s Joe Wortmann and River City’s Rob Wortmann on Saturday. The small-schools match starts at 1 p.m. and will be followed by the large schools at 3.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students and children 5-under are free. Cash and Venmo payments are accepted. There will be no concessions at the event.

The All-SJS team was compiled by a panel of 33 coaches from the Section. In all, 13 made up the first team, while 19 received honorable mention.

Fa’ali’i is the only area player to make the first team. He led Lathrop to a 25-6 record, Western Athletic Conference championship and the SJS Division III semifinals. The outside hitter was one of the most prolific offensive players in the Section with 427 kills (4.8 per set) and 62 aces.

Estandarte and fellow Timberwolf Owen Altadonna, a junior middle hitter, got honorable mention. Also getting honorable mention were Manteca senior middle Aidan Patton and Ripon Christian sophomore outside hitter Mason Tameling.

Grayson Albers was awarded SJS Player of the Year, while Gabe Gardner is Coach of the Year. They spearheaded Rio Americano (34-5) to SJS Division II and California Interscholastic Federation Division II Northern Regional championships.