JCC Boys Volleyball is Now in the Nebraska Boys Volleyball League

Johnson County Central’s Boys Volleyball season is now underway. The school had a boys volleyball team last year, however, that was more of a club team. This year the boys volleyball squad is part of the Nebraska Boys Volleyball League and plays other Nebraska High Schools. According to Head Boys Volleyball Coach Cody Franklin, Johnson County Central’s team is the only team that is not from a Class A school.
“We really did it because we have a love for volleyball and there were several boys who had been asking for a boys team,” said Coach Franklin.
The current goal is for boys volleyball to become an NSAA (Nebraska School Activities Association) sanctioned sport in the future. Franklin explained that, this year, the boys volleyball league run by the Great Plains Regional Volleyball Club. 
Coach Franklin said the rules for boys volleyball are the same as girls, except the boys use a different ball and play on a net that is seven inches higher. JCC’s boys volleyball squad has been practicing about once a week since January. They will play about 10 games and then compete in the state playoffs, if they qualify.
The boys mainly travel to the Lincoln and Omaha areas for games, but JCC will have two volleyball games on their home court. 
“They all have very important roles. I think all of these boys have picked up on the game fast and are doing really well. We have a lot of athleticism and boys who bring a lot of power. They will just have to stay calm in the games and trust their training and they will have a good season,” said Coach Franklin.
“I want them to understand all of the intricacies of volleyball. Already the boys have talked about how much more complex the game is than they thought. At the end of the day, I want them to see how fun the game is and let our area get to watch boys volleyball and help grow the game. It’s hard to be called the volleyball capital of the world when we don’t even have boys volleyball.”
Franklin has been coaching for the last 13 years. He started out coaching national level club teams and then coached at Carthage High School in Missouri. Franklin moved to Nebraska and has coached at JCC for the last  seven years. His assistant coaches are Tim Hedger, who is the JCC Varsity volleyball coach, and Ashley Beethe, a senior volleyball player.
“We are a very athletic group that is very coachable. We have some high flyers with some big arms,” said Coach Franklin.
“I think just like any new teams, everything is new. So the biggest thing is them learning to play the game under pressure and trust their training,” Franklin said.
According to Franklin, Millard will be one of the toughest teams, as most of their players play club volleyball. He added that Omaha Burke also has a really good player that plays club ball in Kansas City.
“Our girls have done a tremendous job of growing the game and we have been so grateful for the support we have received from the community and the players. We did not have this opportunity when we were growing up and we just want boys that want to play to have that. Boys volleyball is currently the fastest growing boys sport.”