A Ridgefield Kid Helped Make Oregon Volleyball History
If you follow high school athletics in the Pacific Northwest, you might have caught wind that something historic happened this weekend in Salem. Central Catholic High School's boys volleyball team swept South Salem in the state championship match — 25-17, 25-16, 25-21 — to claim the first-ever OSAA 6A/5A state title in boys volleyball as a fully sanctioned sport. And one of the players helping the Rams make that history calls Ridgefield home.
Senior Luke Fazio, a graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes, has been a key piece of the Central Catholic machine all season. The Rams finished 22-0, and Fazio was front and center in some of their toughest moments — including a grueling five-set semifinal victory over Summit the night before the final.
What Made This Season Different
Boys volleyball in Oregon has existed at the high school level for a while, but 2026 is the first year OSAA officially sanctioned it as a state sport at the 6A/5A level. That makes Central Catholic's title not just a win — it's the first entry in the state record book. Whatever team wins it next year will be chasing the Rams.
OSAA — the Oregon School Activities Association — is the nonprofit that has governed Oregon high school athletics since 1918. Think of it as the state's referee for everything from football to choir. When a sport is sanctioned, OSAA officially recognizes it: they set the rules, run the brackets, certify officials, and crown a state champion that goes in the permanent record book. Before sanctioning, boys volleyball existed in a kind of gray zone — schools could field teams and compete, but OSAA wasn't running the show. There was no official bracket, no standardized officiating, and any "state champion" crowned was unofficial. For context: girls volleyball has been a fully sanctioned OSAA sport for decades. Boys volleyball only got there in 2026 — and Oregon was the 26th state in the country to make it official. The path wasn't instant, either. OSAA created an "emerging activity" process requiring a sport to reach 50 participating schools within two years. Boys volleyball was the very first sport to go through that process, growing from a handful of teams in 2022 to 68 varsity programs by 2025. Then the Delegate Assembly voted it in. So when Central Catholic lifted that trophy this weekend, they weren't just winning a game — they were writing the first line of an official state record that didn't exist until this season.
And Central Catholic didn't just show up to the party. They were the best team in Oregon wire to wire, finishing the season 22-0. Last year, playing in an unsanctioned championship, they went 20-0. That's 42 consecutive wins spanning two full seasons, with two consecutive undefeated runs — all under head coach Sharlene Alagar.
Luke's Role in the Run
Fazio played a significant role in the tournament run, particularly in the semifinal against Summit — which, frankly, was the harder of the two matches. The Rams dropped the third set to fall behind two sets to one, and it looked dicey. Fazio responded by putting down 20 kills across the match, and Central Catholic closed it out in five sets to punch their ticket to the final.
"We worked really well as a team today and we weren't really relying on one player for siding out. Our setters distributed the ball well and we executed as a team."
— Luke Fazio, after the semifinal win over SummitThat kind of composure under pressure — in a sport where momentum swings fast and loudly — is something you have to develop over time. Fazio was one of the seniors in the Rams' attacking rotation alongside fellow senior Dwight Nguyen, and the pair gave opposing defenses a real problem to solve all season.
Luke Fazio #20 — Central Catholic Senior, Our Lady of Lourdes Graduate
Fazio grew up in Ridgefield, Washington and attended Our Lady of Lourdes before heading to Central Catholic High School in Portland. He was part of the Rams program for both of its consecutive undefeated championship seasons. You can follow his journey on Instagram: @lukefaziovball2026
The Coach Behind the Program
Head coach Sharlene Alagar has built something genuinely rare at Central Catholic. After a bruising five-set semifinal win the night before the final, she framed that match as a teacher rather than a drain.
"We had a grueling five-set match last night against Summit, I think it was a good wake-up call if you wanna say that. It allowed us to learn some things about ourselves mentally, we just had to work through some nerves and remember how we fight and how we win together."
— Sharlene Alagar, Central Catholic Head CoachThat mentality — using adversity as information rather than reacting to it — clearly runs through the whole roster. The Rams came out the next day and dispatched South Salem in three sets, looking every bit the dominant team they were all season.
Head Coach Sharlene Alagar is available for media questions and interviews. She can be reached through Central Catholic High School's athletics department. Photos from the season are available at rampage.smugmug.com — credit information is embedded in the files. Photo credit for championship images goes to Austin White.
Why This Is Worth Celebrating Locally
We don't always track what Ridgefield students are up to once they head to high school outside the district, but achievements like this are worth stopping to note. Luke Fazio came up through Our Lady of Lourdes in Vancouver, and this weekend he was part of making Oregon sports history.
High school sports at their best are exactly this: a group of young people who put in two undefeated seasons of work, figured out how to fight through a five-set deficit in the semifinals, and showed up the next day ready to close. That's a good story no matter what sport you follow.
Congratulations to Luke, his teammates, and the whole Central Catholic program. Go Rams — and go Ridgefield.
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