At first, Stagg’s Michael Kos said he was a football player who plays volleyball, even though in grade school he was a “volleyball guy.”
Then, he said he liked both sports equally.
The way the sophomore outside hitter is playing lately for the Chargers, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he became a volleyball guy who plays football. Either way, the sports complement each other.
“He’s gotten so big and so strong playing football and his swing is hard to stop,” Stagg coach Pat Kelly said of Kos. “He’s been fantastic this year, and we rely on him a lot.”
The host Chargers relied on Kos for an early spark Tuesday night. He tallied four of his five kills in that time and added two block assists in a 25-21, 25-18 SouthWest Suburban Conference win over Homewood-Flossmoor in Palos Hills.
Stagg (15-7, 3-2) also counted on senior middle hitter Tulal Johjah, who had six kills and a block in the second game to help the Chargers take an 18-3 lead. TJ Thornburg chipped in with four kills, while senior setter Dennis Tocila added three kills and two blocks.
Indiana Tech recruit Caleb Madden led H-F (22-6, 2-2) with six kills. Surendran Heyward had five.
Kos, meanwhile, started his high school career as a freshman football player at Marist. But after two months of transportation issues, he decided to stay closer to home.
He feels right at home on the court with his friends from Conrady Junior High.
“In middle school, I was a volleyball guy and I was strong and big,” Kos said. “I was working on my skills every day since sixth grade.”
Kos also played basketball in grade school and can still dunk a basketball. He’s thinking of becoming a three-sport athlete as a junior.
“I didn’t play it this year and I miss it a lot,” Kos said of playing basketball.
But for the rest of his sophomore year, it’s all volleyball. Kos is leading the Chargers with 105 kills, and they are putting together one of the best seasons in years.
“He’s really good at putting the ball away,” Johjah said of Kos. “He is strong and can put the ball down. He’s carried us through some games.”
Johjah, who is second on the team with 94 kills, knows a little something about strength. He bench presses 285 pounds, and Kelly said Johjah is the strongest player on the team.
Although Johjah hopes to get noticed by colleges for volleyball, that might take some extra work because he doesn’t play on the club circuit.
He said he’s enjoying the success of this year’s team after Stagg went 14-20 last season.
“I thought we were going to be worse than last year,” Johjah said. “But this year might be the best record we had in maybe a decade. We’re beating teams we haven’t beaten before.
“We just beat H-F and Lincoln-Way West. We almost beat Lincoln-Way East. We still have some more conference games left and hope to do well in the regionals.”
Kos, however, had a hunch this team would be special — and not so much because of the Chargers’ powerful hitting.
“I thought we would be good because I really like our defense,” he said. “Our defense is really solid and we have some amazing players.”
While football and basketball have their own rewards, Kos really gets a kick out of attacking in volleyball.
“I really love to hit the ball,” he said. “I would rather hit the ball than do anything else. I get a lot of adrenaline when I get a kill. I love celebrating with my teammates.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
