Comeback Puts Boys Volleyball in County Final

Stunned in game one at home, the boys volleyball team—ranked No. 1 in New Jersey—came back to win 23-25, 25-19, 25-18 against fourth-seeded Don Bosco Prep on Tuesday to advance to the finals of the Bergen County Tournament.

Fair Lawn (30-2) will host Wallington High School on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in the county finals.

Dan Nugent fueled the Cutters with 32 kills Tuesday, but one slam that fell short at the net to end game one put the Ironmen out in front. Don Bosco (19-12) was visibly energized after beginning game two with an ace on serve, but Fair Lawn responded with a 4-0 run and never trailed the rest of the afternoon.

However, Fair Lawn won neither game in runaway fashion. Coach Peter Zisa called Don Bosco an "elite" team in the county because of the "really tough schedule" it has played this season. Despite their lofty state ranking, the Cutters "care just as much about winning a county tournament as we do about winning a state tournament," he said.

"We're taking one thing at a time and definitely not overlooking anything," Zisa said.

Brian Toron led Fair Lawn with 45 assists, while Chris Nugent had nine kills and Chris Colomier added seven kills and three digs.

Don Bosco Coach Chris Fabish said that his players "have it in them to compete with anyone in the state," and that was evident against Fair Lawn, especially in the first game. The start epitomized the definition of back and forth, with successive ties at 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, and 10-10. Just when it seemed the Cutters had distanced themselves with powerful kills from Dan Nugent for leads at 12-10, 13-11, and 16-12, the Ironmen fought back to take several one-point leads late before closing out the game.

Game two initially followed a similar script, featuring another pair of ties at 9-9 and 10-10 before Dan Nugent staked Fair Lawn to leads with kills at 14-10 and 15-11. This time, however, the Cutters didn't relinquish their advantage, responding to a carrying call that cut their lead to 21-19 with a four-point, game clinching run.

In game three, Fair Lawn began with an 8-2 stretch and later went up 21-11, but Don Bosco didn't go down without a fight. The Ironmen used a 5-0 run to pull within 22-17 before the Cutters put them away, 25-19.

"We're a young team, so finishing these games has been tough for us," Fabish said.