Taft Goes for Three-Peat in Final

Taft High is going for its third consecutive City Section Championship in boys’ volleyball.

Grant would be happy with its first.

When the teams play tonight at 7:30 for the title at Cal State Northridge, it will be a clash of contrasting programs.

The venue is familiar to Taft, which will play a final at Northridge for a fourth consecutive season. The Toreadors lost to Palisades in 1998, but rode Mike Gledhill, now at Pepperdine, to win the last two titles.

This year is different. No 30-kill performers. No 6-foot-7 destroyers. Just solid play from nearly every starter for the No. 2-seeded Toreadors (15-1).

Top-seeded Grant (16-0) relies on 6-6 middle blocker Mike Charleston, who committed to Northridge and helped hand Taft its only loss with 36 kills in a four-game nonconference victory.

Taft was short-handed at the time--outside hitter Inshik Shin sat out because of a snowboarding injury--but tonight everybody is healthy except Coach Doug Magorien, who tore a ligament in his knee during an adult soccer game.

“I’m not looking at it like there’s a revenge factor for them,” Charleston said. “It’s another team, and we’re looking forward to another challenge.”