After a long day in the office on May 13, what better time on a warm evening to walk a few blocks from the Alameda Journal to St. Joseph Notre Dame High School to catch a North Coast Section first-round boys volleyball game between the Pilots and visiting Head-Royce. Colleague Scott Strain was covering the game, giving me the chance to just stand back and observe. And what I saw was great! Lots of emotion. Great action on the court. And plenty of enthusiasm in the stands. Head-Royce eliminated the Pilots, then itself got eliminated a couple days later against Drake. But the volleyball was great. And so were the fans. Maybe the California Interscholastic Federation will begin to take notice. Boys volleyball deserves a state championship playoff series on par with the girls in the fall.

Our photographers made it out to a ton of events last week so enjoy the fruits of their labor. Here are this week’s photos of the week.

Photos of the week.

We’re back with even more action-packed photos from the week that was. Check it all out below.

Photos of the Week

P.S. Check out Jose Carlos Fajardo’s photo slideshows from the USA Rugby Championships. Cal defeated St. Mary’s and BYU to win another national title. There are a ton of locals playing for Cal these days so check out the galleries. You may see someone you know!

A bit late, but here are the photos of the week from last week’s high school sports action. Enjoy!

Photos of the week

This week’s photos are assembled in a neat and tidy presentation, so I suggest you check it out.

Photos of the week

“The thrill of victory…and the agony of defeat. The human drama of athletic competition.”

“Wide World of Sports” was a favorite television program while growing up. And the above famous words of the program’s intro, as spoken by host Jim McKay, played over and over in the mind while watching the April 10 nonleague high school boys volleyball match between St. Joseph Notre Dame and host Encinal. For sure, this derby between Alameda schools, which saw St. Joseph rally for a thrilling 21-25, 27-29, 25-22, 26-24, 15-11 win, would have made a great “Wide World” installment.

Yes, the thrill of victory was present. As was the agony of defeat. And in terms of the human drama of athletic competition - - well, this match was sporting theater at its finest. Fact is, the match offered everything a fan would want to see: Intensity. Emotion. Excitement. Effort. Athleticism. Skill. Long rallies. Strong serves. Daring play. Diving for balls. Momentum swings. Lead changes. Energy to spare. And plenty of controversial calls to add to the spectacle. In sum, both teams went all out, playing the game the way it was meant to be played.

The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat. The human drama of athletic competition. The Pilots and Jets provided all of that.

In case ya’ll didn’t notice, we have a new photo gallery of the week up. Check it out at the link below. And, p.s., there’s lots of softball!

Photo Gallery

Recently, I asked my 11-year-old son if he would consider joining a sand volleyball team for boys. Since volleyball was a fun part of high school PE classes for dad some years earlier, I figured he might find it fun, too.

My son’s response? “Volleyball is for girls.”

Try as I might, talking to him about the great Karch Kiraly and all of the stars of the U.S. men’s indoor gold medal Olympic volleyball teams of 1984 and 1988, I could not convince him otherwise. Unfortunately, I could not blame him for his attitude toward the game.

Take a look around. Not so much at the worldwide view of the game, but at what happens right in front of our noses. In my grade school days, the girls played volleyball in one part of the playground while the boys played either touch football, wiffle ball or kickball in another. Never the twain shall meet.

To the present day, California high schools have state championship playoffs for girls in the fall, but none for boys in the spring. And at some high schools, unfortunately, few seem to care much about the boys version of the sport.

Back to the worldwide view, volleyball in its various forms is popular among both genders. Heck, in Brazil there’s a form of the game called futvolley (or futevolei, if you happen to be visiting there). It blends soccer and volleyball as players attempt to play the ball with any part of the body except the hands (which goes a long way in explaining why Brazilians are so good at both sports). But in other parts of the world, sadly - - including some schools and neighborhoods nearby - - old stereotypes persist.

For comparison, field hockey had a 72-year head start as an Olympic men’s sport before the inaugural women’s competition in 1980. But this country has long went against the international grain, as the game has long been considered a “girls’ sport” here.

Will volleyball fall into the same trap? Like field hockey, it’s too good a sport to get stereotyped. Unfortunately, though, it’s very easy for a volleyball-for-all proponent to feel like a voice in the wilderness.

Another week, another photo gallery courtesy of the photo and multimedia staff here at the BayAreaNewsGroup. Enjoy.

Photo gallery

Some years ago, a volleyball publication ran a story about the sport’s appeal as an after-work activity for urban factory workers in the early decades of the 20th century.

Fast forward to the present, and high school boys volleyball is a hit-and-miss proposition throughout Northern California. Yeah, some large-enrollment schools - - especially well-heeled ones - - can dominate their leagues. Some players here and there even get college scholarships. The Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League, however, is more a throwback to volleyball’s blue-collar roots. While the ACCAL might not produce many - - if any - - Division I college players, many of the games will please the average fan.

Encinal High School’s island derby with crosstown archrival Alameda at the Hornets Nest on March 20 serves as a case in point. Encinal won 25-12, 25-20, 25-12; and true, Alameda was short four players, including a starting setter and hitter, who sat out for undisclosed reasons. But that’s not to take away from Encinal’s effort. There was flow. There was style. There was synergy. There was enthusiasm. And there was a distinct feel for the game among the experienced Jets, who have 10 seniors on their roster. Oh, and the Jets’ Hawaiian floral-print trunks add a sense of fashion, too.

Volleyball is a second sport for a lot of guys. Often, teams reflect this reality. Encinal middle hitter Jason Silsdorf offers a refreshing exception. An All-ACCAL basketball player as Encinal’s center in the winter, Silsdorf looks very much at ease in the middle of volleyball coach Chris Bautista’s frontcourt. The senior is not a bad server, either. Could it be that Silsdorf actually is a volleyball player who doubles as a basketball player?

Volleyball, of course, is a team game, and the Jets are not only about one player. Fact is, frontline play is an overall team strength. Aaron Wang (a match-high 11 kills against Alameda) and Ryan Perdiguerra would be welcome additions to most any team. And Kamaka Baculpo brings an added presence off the bench.

As for setting, Steve North gave 16 assists against the Hornets. And libero Mervin Arquero was a strong presence in the back row, as were Melvin Arquero and Francisco Cano.

Encinal’s primary team color is blue. Fittingly, the Jets are a throwback to blue-collar volleyball.  And if one match tells a story, such a level and style of play are pretty darn good. Division I prospects or not, it’s volleyball well worth seeing.