KINGSLEY, Pa. — Blue Ridge sits at the top of the District II "AA" Boys’ Volleyball rankings in the early part of this 2023 season.
A big reason why the play of middle hitter Connor Cranage. The junior decided to give volleyball a try his freshman season. Already these Red Raiders with wins over Forest City, Abington Heights, North Pocono, Lehman, and Crestwood.
“No, I played football when I was younger. And I played soccer and was really into baseball, and then COVID hit, so decided to try volleyball,” said Connor.
“Connor is an athlete in anything that he wanted to do. I am lucky that he chose the sport and gave it a try. And he has fallen in love with it as far as I am concerned. He works hard at it. He told me day one that he wanted to be a versatile player, and he has done that,” said Lori.
Lori Zick pulls double duty up in Susquehanna County, coaching the girl's and boys’ volleyball teams. The girls have won nine district titles in a row, and now the boy's program is beginning their own streak.
“I have a great group of juniors that came in as freshmen with Connor. They have had that goal since the beginning, and it's something that they have worked on the last several years,” again said Lori.
In the fall, when Connor was younger, football was his sport. As we have moved into the winter, basketball was the main directive Connor a 1,000-point scorer at Blue Ridge, and now in the spring, it's boys’ volleyball already with the school record of over 500 kills and Connor telling me he wants to get to 1,000 before the season is over.
“It's good you know me and my setter Carson have a really good connection. We have been best friends for a long time. So, it's an awesome feeling,” again said Connor.
Cranage also keeps busy with AAU basketball. This fall, he is hoping to start receiving some interest from college coaches on a future on the hard court or one in volleyball.
Steve Lloyd Newswatch 16 sports Susquehanna County.