Positive-ly Cheer-ful

One of the great things about my job is that it never ceases to surprise me.

With slightly less than five years covering preps under my belt, there are plenty of folks who have been involved in high school athletics longer than myself, but every once in a while I fall into the trap of thinking I’ve seen it all. That is until something like the Sept. 19 Oakland Activities Association Division I volleyball match between host Bloomfield Hills Lahser and Birmingham Seaholm.

Knowing it was a match that could help decide the regular-season league title, I decided to cover it for our Web site as well as a feature for the Sept. 27 issue of the Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle, but what I didn't expect was a number of firsts, including an atmosphere that lent itself more toward a playoff basketball game than a regular-season volleyball match.

Never had I seen an official ask an athletic director to quiet down a volleyball crowd, but the Lahser gym was plenty raucous as the fans' section called "The Positive Cheer" made sure everyone knew they were there. That, coupled with the strong play by both teams in five games, gave the match a postseason feel. The Positive Cheer fans even rushed the court following the Knights' 25-15, 25-22, 12-25, 12-25, 15-9 win.