School district celebrates state champion Kelly Walsh volleyball squad

CASPER, Wyo. — The recently crowned Kelly Walsh state champion volleyball team was recognized Monday at the Natrona County School District’s meeting.

The Trojans finished the season with a terrific 32–3 record, including an unblemished 10–0 mark in conference play. The state title was the 11th for Kelly Walsh’s volleyball program, 10 of which have come under the leadership of Jeff Barkell.

Barkell said the season was somewhat poetic, as it began on the wrong foot with a straight-sets loss to Laramie High School. However, Kelly Walsh got its revenge on the Plainsmen by defeating them in the state championship match with a sweep of its own.

“We started out losing the very first game of the season fairly handily,” he said. “Ironically, the same team that we lost to in the first game of the season is the team that we played in the state championship, and we beat them pretty handily; it felt like we were in control the whole time.”

Barkell said the team’s motto this season was “Burn the boats.” The saying is a reference to ancient Roman history: As Julius Caesar famously said, “If you want to take the island, burn the boats.” The saying inspired the team to leave everything they had on the court this season, the head coach said.