‘Once in a lifetime': Northgate wins first NorCal volleyball title in epic five-setter
WALNUT CREEK - At some point in a five-set volleyball match, the true identity of a team reveals itself.
There are too many points and too much energy expended to hide behind ego or false confidence. Eventually, the true nature emerges.
When top-seeded Northgate was pushed to the limit against second-seeded Jesuit of Carmichael on Saturday night in the CIF NorCal Division I championship game, that identity came through loud and clear.
The best team in Northern California.
A grueling, late-starting, two-and-a-half-hour affair ended with an emphatic free-ball spike by star senior hitter Ingmar Nordberg – "the Viking," as he is known – who slayed the Marauders with a 15-8 final set to seal a 3-2 win (21-25, 28-26, 25-15, 19-25, 15-8).
Dozens of black-clad Northgate students immediately stormed the court to form an impenetrable cloud of euphoria that enveloped the Broncos' players. It was a scene ripped from a Middle Ages battle a millennium ago.
Northgate coach Joe Peacock had a different description in mind.
"Once in a lifetime," said the Broncos' third-year leader.
That joyful cloud of darkness was the release of years of NorCal playoff disappointments.
Northgate lost in the first round of NorCal every one of Nordberg's first three years at the Walnut Creek school. So when a wayward Jesuit overpass crossed the net on match point, he knew exactly what to do.
"It’s awesome," Nordberg said. "Can't describe it with words. It’s a crazy feeling. NCS, we’ve been there before, but this is a whole new thing, whole new level. Super happy."
Nordberg's match winner was set up by a crosscourt kill two points earlier from Connor Harze, Nordberg's tag-team attack partner whose finishing came along for the ride with his elite leaping ability down the stretch.
Harze is as talented as any player on the floor but sometimes struggles to relax and fully trust his natural ability and skill. But when Northgate needed him most, he put it all together.
"I finally realized that this was it," Harze said. "I’m not playing high school volleyball after this set again. I won’t have any more practices in this gym, it’ll just be over. So I realized that, and I played to my fullest, because I knew it could be my last, man.”
Harze became emotional thinking about the possibility of his career ending and the way Northgate (37-1) came through to prolong its best season in school history for another week.
"When we had all the energy, when we were scoring points left and right, it felt like we hit flow state," he said. "All the team was working great together, we had great chemistry, we had great hype, we’re all hyping each other up. It was just so much fun. It was a lot of fun."
And now thanks to their performance on Saturday, the fun isn't over quite yet. Though Northgate's seniors will graduate on Tuesday, they have a few more practices in their home gym.
Then they'll travel to Fresno City College, where they will face Southern California top seed Mira Costa for the Division I state championship.
"It really shows how far we’ve come as a program and as a team," Nordberg said. "It’s really been our goal the whole season, and being able to finish it, I feel really fulfilled. And there’s still more to come. We got state championships next Saturday, and we’re gonna stay locked in, but super, super happy. I haven't felt like this in a while."
Division III
No. 1 Santa Cruz def. No. 3 Mountain View 21-25, 22-25, 25-14, 25-11, 15-9
Mountain View (23-19) suffered through the indignity of a reverse sweep as Santa Cruz (28-13) won its first NorCal boys volleyball title.
The match, played in Santa Cruz, started 70 minutes late due to an issue with the fire alarm.
Colin Ching led Mountain View with 12 kills. Tyler Berent had nine kills, 31 assists and nine digs. Mosiah Fruean had six kills and Timothy Zhang had 11 digs.
Matty Rayray led Santa Cruz with 26 kills, Charlie Hess had 17, Felippe Zacarias Melo had 10 and Guillermo Mazier had 11 and six blocks. Lucas Kamalani had 23 digs.
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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 11:45 PM.