Filling in and stepping up

Things needed to be pieced together after the Flintridge Prep boys’ volleyball team lost several top-notch players to graduation last season.

Forced to mix and match by assigning new roles to the returning athletes, veteran Flintridge Prep Coach Sean Beattie made a bold move by moving Gavin Thomson from middle blocker to outside hitter in an attempt to provide more offense after standout Dylan Walker moved on to college.

“I saw that he had put the work in [before the season began], and that we could move him to a new spot,” said Beattie, who piloted the fourth-seeded Rebels (20-6) to the CIF Southern Section Division V semifinals this past season before falling to top-seeded St. Margaret’s. “Then, he had the team doing the little things well and they followed him.

“He had giant shoes to fill in replacing Dylan. He loved the challenge of being able to come in and help the team out anyway he could.”

Thomson stepped in and took charge, posting an area-best 461 kills en route to earning All-Prep League and All-CIF first-team accolades.

Thomson proved he could handle most situations for a team that needed somebody to occasionally get them through some rough spots and on the right path.

“Nobody expected us to do a lot this season because we lost some great players,” said Thomson, who was selected the All-Area Boys’ Volleyball Player of the Year by the sportswriters and editors of the Glendale News-Press, Burbank Leader and La Cañada Valley Sun. “We didn’t listen to anybody, even though we were a new team.

“When Dylan left, he was going to be tough to replace. There was a huge hole to fill and I talked to Coach Beattie and told him to get me the ball.”

Walker was named the All-Area Player of the Year the previous two seasons after amassing 737 kills. Neither Beattie or Thomson expected the senior to put up those type of numbers, but Thomson far exceeded expectations.

The outside hitter did it all, from jump-serving to playing steady defense. Thomson, who will attend Southern Methodist University in the fall, contributed 52 aces, 22 blocks and 178 digs.

“I had a lot of support out there,” said Thomson, who was named to the All-Area Football second team last season after securing all-league first-team honors. “I always wanted to be an outside hitter, and I knew that I could be one.