Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

The Maple Mountain boys volleyball team was invited to the inaugural First Point High School Boys Invitational in March, competing at the Austin (Texas) Sports Center against some of the top teams in the country.

The Golden Eagles, who won the first-ever Utah 5A boys volleyball title last spring, represented the state well. They finished second in the Legacy Division, losing just one match to No. 1 seed Windward (Calif.).

Maple Mountain has been one of the most dominant programs in the state the past two seasons and has won 36 consecutive matches against Utah competition. The Golden Eagles continued the streak on Tuesday, moving to 23-1 overall and 10-0 in Region 7 play with a sweep (25-17, 25-16, 25-18) of Springville.

The First Point tournament showcased just what kind of boys volleyball is being played in Utah.

“It was cool to see the players from all the states there, even those states that don’t have high school volleyball,” Maple Mountain senior Trey Thornton said. “I know a bunch of the kids playing. Volleyball isn’t the biggest sport right now but it’s growing. So it was cool representing Utah. It’s a great state to represent.”

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

Maple Mountain also got some cool uniforms from the First Point Tournament, designed exclusively by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Slunks, a popular volleyball apparel company.

“Everyone got custom uniforms to represent their state,” Maple Mountain coach Napoleon Galang said. “It was a great honor. They look cool and the boys love them, but it really means more than that. It’s really for them to pioneer, leave a legacy and represent Utah in a positive way. And there’s no better team, in my opinion, to represent Utah in that tournament.”

Galang is in his first year as head coach for the Golden Eagles after spending the past two as an assistant. The team is built around the 6-foot-7 Thornton, who has signed with BYU, 6-6 senior middle blocker Manase Storey and 6-7 junior setter Taft Hillman, all of whom played a big part in the team’s state title last season.

Thornton, who moved to Utah from Alabama last season, quickly became on of the Beehive state’s premier players. As a junior, he finished with 429 kills (4.6 per set) and hit .364, sweeping the state’s Mr. Volleyball and the Daily Herald’s Offensive MVP awards.

Thornton’s numbers are soaring again this season. He’s already totaled 300 kills (4.3 per set) and has raised his hitting percentage to .472 against defenses designed to stopping him.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

“This year, he’s trying to be a more cerebral player,” Galang said. “In whatever situation we’re in, he’s such a smart player. He’s focused on less errors this year, and it’s reflected in his numbers. He’s focusing on his passing, making good, smart plays and bouncing it when it’s the right moment. He’s improved his volleyball IQ, which was already high, and he’s making everyone around him better.”

Thornton’s totals would be even higher but for the dominance of the Golden Eagles, who have claimed 19 of their 23 victories in straight sets, including the past six matches in a row. He pounded out 27 kills against Skyridge in a five-set win earlier this season and had 25 in a five-setter against 4A No. 1 Orem.

On Tuesday against Springville, Thornton had 13 kills on 19 swings with just three errors for a hitting percentage of .526.

“I’ve been working with my setter (Hillman) and trying to ID the ball earlier, seeing whether it’s inside or outside,” Thornton said. “I’m working and trusting my teammates that they’re going to give me a good set and it’s going to work.

“One of our greatest strengths is we have great bench players. We can practice a championship game in our gym, which not many people can say they can. And we have great support from the community.”

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

Thornton said he plans on playing his freshman season at BYU before serving a church mission. The Cougars would do well to keep an eye on Hillman as well, the son of former BYU standout Joe Hillman, who is an assistant coach at Maple Mountain.

Galang has plugged in two freshmen — outside hitter Kimball Olsen and libero McKay Beattie — and credits the leadership of Thornton and Storey in the Golden Eagles 2025 success.

“They (the freshmen) are some of the hardest working players I’ve seen,” Thornton said. “They want it. They want to play college, they want to win, they want to do all the big things, and they’re doing the right things for sure.”

Maple Mountain will likely hold on to its No. 1 RPI spot and be the top seed when the 5A state tournament begins at Utah Valley’s UCCU Center on May 9.

“From the beginning, the players knew what the goal was, and that is to win state again,” Galang said. “Every day in the gym we give the players challenges. We have to keep them challenged in every aspect of the game. They know they have to stay on top of it, because everybody is after us. As long as we play our game, play consistently and clean, and win the serve and pass game, it’s going to be ours to lose.”

Thornton added, “Every point is a mini game. We win our mini games, we win the game. We just need to stay hungry every point, locking in on doing what we need to do in practice and that will reflect on the court.”