It either has to do with the year in which they were born, or this class just has some natural talent, as five San Benito High School freshmen are making a big mark on the boys’ varsity volleyball team. Last fall, the girls’ varsity team also featured five freshmen. This spring, the five freshmen boys — Jack Breger, Miguel Cortez, Dominic Garcia, Chris Gonzalez, and Saul Martinez– are some of the key players.

Even though they’re only freshmen, they were optimistic and excited about being on varsity. Garcia, the team’s libero, said that it’s “incredible and great” to be a starting freshman on a varsity team. The team’s setter, Saul Martinez, said that “It’s honestly a dream come true.”

It seems like this was just like how it was for the girls’ varsity volleyball team a few months ago. Just like the girls’ team, the freshmen play in three of the six starting spots on the court. Breger, a starting outside hitter, said, “I remember coming to my older sister’s (Katherine Breger) games and watching how intense and cool it looked like to play.” He said that later on, his twin sister Annie (a varsity middle blocker), showed him the ropes and was one of the first people he played with.

At their first game of the season, the freshmen were admittedly a bit nervous, having never played a game in high school — much less at the varsity level. “The boys had butterflies, and you could see that very clearly,” Coach Javier Castaneda said. Even though they lost that game in three straight sets, they bounced back and won in the bronze division at their first tournament of the year, where they had a lot of energy on the court.

The potential is what is the focus for these freshmen. Castaneda said that despite their youth, the group is always eager to get out onto the court.

“This season looks bright, and will also be a learning experience for us as well,” he said.