Huntington Beach’s Ciarelli Discovers Winning Formula

HUNTINGTON BEACH — You could see it in their eyes.

When Huntington Beach captains Mike Grave and Nick Ziegler began watching their championship dream slowly slip away, there was only calm determination.

El Toro held four match points against Huntington Beach in last season’s Southern Section Division I semifinals. But Grave and Ziegler coolly helped the Oilers fend off each potential season-ending point, and they rallied to win the fifth game, 18-16.

The semifinal victory advanced Huntington Beach to the final three days later, when a four-game victory over Laguna Beach for the Division I title served as a coronation for the new kings of Orange County boys’ volleyball.

In his 11th season at the Huntington Beach helm, Coach Rocky Ciarelli has helped the Oilers emerge as the county’s premier boys’ volleyball program.

Huntington Beach is 64-5 in the past three seasons, reaching the section championship match each year. This season, the Oilers (11-1, 5-1 in league) are ranked fourth in the county and seventh in Division I.

Although Fountain Valley stopped Huntington Beach’s 61-match Sunset League unbeaten streak Friday, the Oilers are still one of the county’s top contenders for the Division I title. Last season, Huntington Beach lost to Laguna Beach late in the season but rebounded to win the championship.

Laguna Beach is the only team in the section to win more major division titles (five) than Huntington Beach (two). The Artists won three consecutive titles from 1981-83 under then-Coach Bill Ashen.

Laguna Beach had a glut of talented players during that span, including section players of the year Lance Stewart (‘81), Rudy Dvorak (‘82) and Leif Hanson (‘83), and future U.S. national team members Adam Johnson and Scott Fortune.

Shadd Walker and Chris Jones helped Huntington Beach defeat Capistrano Valley in five games to win the Oilers’ first Division I title in 1993 and the Oilers rallied to win the title again last season.

“The last two years, we’ve squeaked it out and got some breaks,” Ciarelli said. “But the kids have been successful and you can see a confidence. They believe if they just keep working hard, good things will happen. They feel like they’re going to win.”

That feeling and belief emanates from Ciarelli, and the program’s success begins with him.

“No. 1, Rocky is one of best coaches around,” said Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn, who won the Division 4-A title in 1987.

Ciarelli was a multi-sport standout at Huntington Beach before he moved on to play volleyball at Long Beach State. He spent three years coaching volleyball at Edison before moving to Huntington Beach, where he also teaches history.

His Huntington Beach teams are establishing their own winning history.

Huntington Beach’s frosh-soph and junior varsity teams have dominated the Sunset League recently. JV Coach Rob Burdick has compiled a 90-9 record since 1989, winning five consecutive league titles. Frosh-soph Coach Roy Crump is 85-2 since 1990, also winning five consecutive league titles.

Craig Pazanti and Isaac Owens, former players under Ciarelli, are varsity assistant coaches and play key roles in the Oilers’ success.

“My assistants have been with me for a while,” Ciarelli said, “and I’m fortunate in that since I’ve been teaching here too, since 1984, there’s a certain stability.”

“Rocky’s done a great job,” Woodbridge Coach Rich Polk said. “Of course it doesn’t hurt to have guys like Matt Taylor, Mike Grave, Jeremy Bart . . .”

Ciarelli always points to his good fortune of having top-notch standouts--such as Taylor, who earned a scholarship to UCLA, and Bart, who will play at Stanford next year--among his deep pool of players.

“The kids realize what sports do well and which ones don’t,” Ciarelli said. “Success breeds success. We had 25 kids try out for the frosh-soph team this year.”

By contrast, Laguna Beach has 25 players in its entire program this season.

But Stewart, now the Irvine Valley College men’s volleyball coach, noted that having all the resources doesn’t guarantee success.

“Sure, having a large student body could be beneficial,” Stewart said. “But you have to make it an advantage. Rocky has done that.”

Another benefit is geography. Ciarelli encourages all of his players to play more volleyball at the neighborhood beach courts.

“What the beach does more than anything is that it mentally toughens them up,” Ciarelli said. “Each player has to touch the ball every point. They develop a tougher mindset because they’re out there learning on their own. I think that makes a big difference.”

Laguna Beach, despite a small enrollment, competes at the highest level because beach volleyball is an everyday element at the seaside community. But a beach isn’t necessary for success.

Los Angeles Loyola is closer to Beverly Hills than any breakers, yet the Cubs have won five section titles. Simi Valley Royal and Whittier Christian aren’t within sight of the ocean, but both teams have won three section championships.

The Oilers are seeking a third title this season. Although boys’ volleyball has been officially sanctioned for only 21 years, the game and the programs have grown tremendously.

“When I played at Huntington it was just something to occupy my time because basketball was over,” Ciarelli said. “It wasn’t that big of a thing. We played at three in the afternoon and no one came to watch us. Now, 3,000 people will show up for the finals.”

Some things haven’t changed.

Huntington Beach boys’ basketball Coach Roy Miller coached the boys’ volleyball team from 1975-77 and led the Oilers to two Sunset League titles. How tough was the competition?

“I looked back at some old all-league lists,” Miller said, “and Newport Harbor’s Steve Timmons was a second-team all-league selection in his senior year.”

Timmons won two gold medals with the U.S. Olympic team.

“I laughed when I saw he was a second-team guy,” Miller said. “We did pretty good back then, but then we hit a dry spell before Rocky came in.”

Ciarelli coaches the boys’ and girls’ teams during the school year, but in the summer, the coach is Mr. Mom. While Ciarelli’s wife of seven years, Cammy, plays on the women’s pro beach volleyball tour, he watches daughter, Felicia, 6, and son, Tony, 5, on the sidelines.

Whether on the bench with his players or on the beach with his family, Rocky Ciarelli is at home.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Orange Crush Orange County boys’ volleyball teams have won 13 of the 21 major division championships since the sport was sanctioned by the Southern Section. An Orange County team has played for the title every year except the first, when Santa Monica defeated Inglewood in 1974. Laguna Beach has won five major division championships, three more than any other team in the section. Outside of the county, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, Santa Barbara and Santa Monica have each won twice and Santa Barbara San Marcos and Los Angeles Loyola once (Loyola won four consecutive Division 3-A titles before winning 4-A in 1988). A list of Orange County teams and the accomplishments in major division section championship matches: Laguna Beach--Champions: ‘75, ‘77, ‘81, ‘82, ‘83; Runners-up: ‘78, ’94 Newport Harbor--Champions: ‘80, ‘87; Runners-up: ‘88, ’91 Huntington Beach--Champions: ‘93, ‘94; Runners-up: ’92 Corona del Mar--Champions: ‘85, ‘89; Runners-up: None Dana Hills--Champions: ‘86; Runners-up: ’85 San Clemente--Champions: ‘76; Runners-up: ’81 Estancia--Champions: None; Runners-up: ‘79, ‘80, ‘83, ’84 Edison--Champions: None; Runners-up: ‘86, ’90 Capistrano Valley--Champions: None; Runners-up: ’93 Note: Whittier Christian won the Division 2-A title in 1991 and ’92 and Division III in ’93. Esperanza won Division II in 1993 and Calvary Chapel won Division III in 1994.