The Miners boys volleyball team fell 3-1 to Juan Diego Catholic on Thursday night, the team’s senior night.  Park City celebrated seniors Henry Skidmore, Mason Raffone, Luke McNally, Owen Wright and Conner Richardson with a pregame ceremony featuring parents, siblings and a giant cutout of ea ch player’s head as a baby. They also recognized Juan Diego’s sole senior, Arzani Tellez Gonzalez.  The cheerful atmosphere was unable to carry the Miners through the game. They dropped set one 25-21, clawed back in set two to win that 25-15 and dropped sets three and four 25-20 and 25-23, respectively.  The loss is 7-14, Park City’s fifth-straight. The team has struggled to get back to form after last week’s spring break, going 0-3 this week. The Miners are all-but locked into a first round playoff road game next Saturday, ranked 20th in 4A.  The five outgoing volleyball seniors gather for a group picture before their senior night game. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record “I thought we played well,” said Park City Head Coach Eric Damon. “It’s just tough. The way our spring break lands compared to everyone else in the region, we had two weeks without a match and then one practice before we hopped into three matches.” The restfulness of the Miners was outweighed this week by other teams’ forms.  “Volleyball is a game where you just have to keep playing it in order to stay fresh,” Damon said. “It takes a minute to figure things out once you’ve been off for such a long time.” Damon said a strong practice Friday could ready the team for the final stretch of the season. Park City will play Jordan and Highland on Monday and Tuesday at home and on the road, respectively, to close out the regular season.  The Miners will try to rally in the final stretch of the season, where they have two more regular season games and a likely first round road playoff game. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record “Every minute counts when you can only have one or two practices a week,” Damon said.  Despite Thursday’s loss, Damon always enjoys honoring his seniors. With Utah high school boys volleyball only in its third season, players like Skidmore have been there since the beginning.  “They’re relatively new to the sport, and it means a lot that they’re willing to tackle something new so late in their high school career and really put their trust in me as a coach,” Damon said. “For Henry Skidmore, who’s been with the program since it started, it’s really special that he’s stuck with it through the last three years; he’s grown a lot in the sport.” Damon appreciates all the time and effort the players’ families have put into their sons and the team as well. He said favorite moments with the group over their time with the program have been all the little moments where he sees a new skill click with them.  “We’re really excited to finish out the season strong,” Damon said. “We need to go out and give our best if we’re going to secure a better seed. Every point, set and match counts when you’re kind of getting down to this final week of the season.” Damon believes this year’s senior class has continued to lay the foundation for teams to come.  The strong support from parents, siblings and others wasn’t enough to carry Park City, who fell 3-1 to Juan Diego Catholic. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record The post Miners boys volleyball team falls on senior night appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less